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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24115069">Prince of Gotham</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanofeverything101/pseuds/Fanofeverything101'>Fanofeverything101</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prince of Gotham [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Titans (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson Whump, F/M, Kidnapping, PTSD, Protective Bruce, Protective Titans, Trauma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:39:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>59,396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24115069</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanofeverything101/pseuds/Fanofeverything101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Deathstroke, the Titans worst enemy returns and targets Nightwing, Dick Grayson ends up back in Gotham with Bruce and Jason while they figure out how to defeat him while Dick tries to keep the past hidden from Rachel, Gar and Kory. *Sequel to Reconcile. Complete AU of season 2*</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Past Donna Troy/Garth, past Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prince of Gotham [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747042</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>158</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Hidden in the Twilight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a sequel to Reconcile, though it’s not necessary to read that one before you read this one. This is an AU, obviously. It might have some elements that are the same as the show, but it’s not canon. So the Titans team consists of Dick, Kory, Rachel, Gar, Donna, Dawn, and Hank. Jason is in Gotham, and there’s no Rose or Superboy. Hope you guys like it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Goon coming up on your left Raven!” Dick warned Rachel about the man about to jump her from the shadows as he blocked an attack from the criminal that he was fighting with one of his escrima sticks. With the other, he jammed the end into his opponent’s leg, letting the electricity flood the other man’s body. He immediately started shaking uncontrollably and feel to the ground.</p><p>“Thanks Nightwing.” Rachel shouted back as she kicked the man who had tried to sneak up on her in the face. The former Robin smirked proudly when he saw the attack. It was a move he himself had taught her and she was a quick learner.</p><p>Though he had his worries about restarting the Titans with Rachel, Gar, Donna, Dawn, and Hank, and he still did, he had to admit that they were doing a decent job. Gar and Rachel were like sponges, absorbing everything that the older, experienced vigilantes taught them as fast as possible. Which turned out to be a good thing considering how fast they wanted to go out on patrol. And if they did mess up at all, they had five older experienced teammates to help them out. That was one of the conditions that was made when they decided to bring the Titans back, Rachel and Gar were not allowed to go<br/>out on their own. At least, not until they were older and stronger.</p><p>Since the criminals that they were fighting were just the basic run-off-the-mill drug dealers, they took them down within minutes. As Dick finished tying up one of the dealers with the zip-ties he kept in his utility belt, he heard Gar’s excited voice exclaim, “That was awesome! We kicked their butts!”</p><p>“Save it for later Beast Boy. We can gloat at home.” Donna told him as she finished securing another dealer.</p><p>“And don’t get too cocky. Getting cocky can get you killed.” Dick warned him with a slight grin. A pout came upon Gar’s face as he mumbled the word ‘buzzkill’ under his breath. He didn’t respond to that though. Gar would learn soon enough, and hopefully not the hard way.</p><p>“Police are on their way.” Hank told them, having heard it on their police scanner.</p><p>“Then let’s get out of here.” Dick responded as he pulled his grapple gun out of his belt and shot it in the air. Hank and Donna were quick to do the same while Kory, Rachel, and Gar flew, the latter turning into a bird first, and Donna just leaped into the air with enough force to land on the top of the building Nightwing, Dove, and Hawk ended up on.</p><p>“You guys go home. I’m just going to make sure that none of the drug dealers escape.” Dick told them once they had all gotten to the roof. He had noticed that some of the criminals that they would catch and leave for the police to arrest wouldn’t actually arrive to the police station when he went to work the next morning. While it was possible that they managed to escape before the authorities arrived, he was pretty sure that they were getting inside help. Having grown up in Gotham, he knew the signs of dirty cops when he saw them.</p><p>“Hey Beast Boy, race you!” Rachel shouted out excitedly as she took of into the air, the green bird right behind her. The adults either smiled, laughed, or both at the kids’ behaviour before Hank and Dawn went after them, at a much slower speed though of course.</p><p>Donna stared at their retreating figure for a few seconds, then turned back to Dick and said, “Don’t stay out too late.”</p><p>“I won’t.” Dick promised. Assured by that, somewhat, as she knew his bad habits, Donna took off after the others, leaving Dick alone on the rooftop with Kory.</p><p>“You’re not going to go with them?” Dick asked as the girl in the bright suit walked over to him.</p><p>“I thought I’d keep you company.” Kory responded, a playful smile on her face.</p><p>“As long as neither of us gets distracted, some company would be nice.” Dick replied with a smile of his own before turning back to the criminals below them.</p><p>It was silent for a few seconds before Kory put her arms on the roof railing, laying all of her weight on it and said, “You’ve been staying out later a lot over the last few weeks.”</p><p>“Is there a problem with that?” Dick wondered, still smirking slightly.</p><p>“Only that you never told us why?” Kory answered, her voice now serious and concerned instead of being light-hearted like it was moments earlier.</p><p>Dick didn’t respond to that. He hadn’t told them what was going on out of fear of what their reaction would be. When he first started going out as Robin, he had started noticing that the criminals he and Batman would catch and leave for the police would be out on the streets the next night even though there was evidence of their crimes. He had mentioned it to Bruce, and that was when he learned how corrupt Gotham’s police force was and it infuriated him. He couldn’t believe that the people who had sworn to uphold the law and bring justice to the city would betray that. The fact that Tony Zucco hadn’t been caught yet didn’t help either. As a result, ended staying late to catch the dirty cops and though he succeeded in catching a few, he was almost killed and would’ve been if Bruce hadn’t been there.</p><p>Rachel and Gar were still new to the hero/vigilante business and were very eager. He didn’t want to risk them going out to catch any corrupt cops and getting themselves into trouble like he did. Donna would be angry and annoyed but she was smart and had dealt with dirty cops before so he didn’t have to worry about her. Hank and Dawn had also dealt with that but Hank had a temper and sometimes rushed in without thinking. Usually Dawn could keep him from doing something stupid, but not always. Kory though, he had no idea how she’d react. As far as he knew, she had never dealt with corrupt police officers.</p><p>“Some of the people we’ve caught haven’t made it to the precinct to be charged, even though they were caught red-handed and there was evidence of their crimes.” Dick finally told her.</p><p>“You think they managed to escape before the cops get to them?” Kory wondered.</p><p>“If it was just one or two, I’d say yes, but eight? I doubt it.” He answered, still keeping an eye on the drug dealers on the side of the street. He could now dimly hear the sound of police sirens.</p><p>“You think someone’s letting them go? Like a police officer?” Kory asked, though she didn’t sound that surprised like he would’ve expected if she had never heard of corrupt cops before.</p><p>“I think so, but we’ll soon find out.” Dick replied.</p><p>“And didn’t tell us this because…” Kory then wondered.</p><p>Dick sighed, lowered his head, then said, “When I first started as Robin and learned how corrupt the police department was, I made it my mission to bring them down. I got a few, but I almost got myself killed because I would go out on my own instead of with Batman.”</p><p>“So you didn’t tell us because thought we would do the same thing.” Kory concluded.</p><p>“I wasn’t sure how you’d all react, especially Gar and Rachel.”</p><p>Turning to face him, keeping one elbow on the railing, Kory said, “You know Gar and Rachel are smarter than that.”</p><p>“You remember the asylum?” Dick asked with raised eyebrows.</p><p>“Fair point.” Kory agreed before she added, “but they’ve grown a lot since then.”</p><p>“I know, but it’s best to make sure of the facts first before doing anything. Trusting your gut and past experiences is important but they can be wrong. If I told them what I suspect, they could just assume I was right when I might be wrong and do something stupid and dangerous.” Dick explained.</p><p>“Well, I guess we’re about to find out.” The alien remarked as the cop cars now became visible.</p><p>It was only seconds later that they learned Dick was indeed wrong. Right before the cops pulled up to the sight, two of the drug dealers they caught, the ones that seemed to be in charge, suddenly fell over with blood pooling under their heads, their bodies completely limp.</p><p>“What the h*ll?” Kory gasped in shock while Dick flinched at the sight.</p><p>“Someone just shot and killed them.” Dick told her even though she had probably already figured it out, “They’re using a silencer so no one will hear.”</p><p>“Where did it come from?” Kory asked as she looked at the surrounding buildings, searching for whoever just shot and killed the two drug dealers.</p><p>Dick’s attention though was on the police cars that had finally arrived on the scene. He grabbed Kory’s hand and said, “I don’t know, but we gotta go.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>What the two superheroes were unaware of, was the figure hidden in the shadows on the top floor of the building across from the one they were standing on. He watched as they rushed off while the police arrived on the streets below, smiling at the sight, knowing it was almost time to put his plan in action.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Dark of the Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a warning, writing fight scenes is not my strong suit, so sorry if it’s a little sloppy. Hope you all like this chapter though.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I don’t understand why he didn’t just tell us.” Rachel said, glancing at Dick who was in a different room, completely focused on what he was doing on his computer.</p><p>“He just wanted to get all the facts first, that’s all.” Kory gave her one of the reasons Dick had given her last night, not wanting to upset her or Gar about how Dick was also worried what they might do if they knew he suspected that there were dirty cops in the city.</p><p>By the time they had gotten back to their apartment after they witnessed those two drug dealers get shot, Rachel and Gar were already in bed. Not wanting to wake them up, they only told the other adults of the Titans. When Dick went to work that morning, he did his best to look into the other criminals that they had caught that hadn’t been arrested. They needed to know if they had just gotten away or if they had been killed too. And if they were dead, there had to be a connection between them besides just criminals.</p><p>After Dick got off work, he came home to find that the teenagers were now fully aware of the situation and were not happy that they hadn’t been told anything about what was going on. He tried to calm them down before he grabbed a quick bite to eat and went straight to work. He didn’t even tell any of the others what he was thinking. He was too focused on finding answers to even think of telling his teammates. A trait he had, unfortunately, picked up from Batman.</p><p>“Out of curiosity,” Rachel’s voice finally pulled his attention off the screen and towards the door in time to see her enter the room, followed by everyone else, “are you going to tell us what you’re doing or are you going to leave us out in the dark again?”</p><p>Dick frowned at her tone of voice. Usually Rachel didn’t question the choices he made as the team leader. It was actually Hank who did it the most. After him, it was probably Donna and Gar. Then again, this was the first time he had hid something from them so he ignored it and said, “I’m looking for any possible connection between the criminals we’ve caught over the last few weeks.”</p><p>“Why?” Gar asked, coming over to sit on the edge of the desk.</p><p>“Because at least one person from each of those groups has disappeared. I couldn’t find any trace of them anywhere. So unless they are really good at hiding, odds are that they got the same treatment that those two drug dealers got last night.” Dick responded.</p><p>“So that means there’s a connection between them?” Rachel questioned. She sounded confused and Dick wasn’t surprised. The criminals that they caught were all doing different offenses. Trafficking weapons, smuggling stolen goods, doing a bank heist, robbing people on the street and dealing drugs. There wasn’t any obvious connection between them at all.</p><p>“The odds that someone would kill the leaders of all these different group, is very slim unless he was hired or has an agenda. If he was hired, then that means there’s probably a connection between the groups besides the fact they were criminals.” Dick explained.</p><p>“Sounds like a lot of work for only a possibility.” Gar commented.</p><p>“I’m going to check every possibility until I find out what’s going on.” The Titans’ leader told him, then with a smirk, he asked, “Do you want to help?”</p><p>Gar’s face scrunched up before he shook his head and said, “No thanks.”</p><p>As the green-haired teenager rushed out of the room, Rachel told Dick, “Yeah, sounds like you got it under control. Keep us in the loop.” Then she went after Gar.</p><p>With a chuckle, Dick looked over at the adults and said, “Note to self, if you want to get the kids out of the room, threaten to have them do research.”</p><p>“Do you actually need some help?” Donna wondered with a smile.</p><p>“No, I got it all covered.” The detective replied, turning around to face the computer again. Donna walked out of the room once she got her answer but Kory headed over to her boyfriend.</p><p>Putting a hand on his shoulder, Kory leaned down and whispered, “Don’t work too hard, okay?”</p><p>“I won’t.” Dick promised. The alien then pressed a kiss to his cheek and headed back into the living room, leaving Dick alone to work in peace.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>Dick was so entirely focused on his search, struggling to find whatever it was that he was missing, that it wasn’t until a hand pushed his keyboard away from him and put a plate of food down on the desk where the keyboard had been. Dick stared at the plate then looked up to see Rachel giving him a look that made him feel like he was in trouble.</p><p>“You missed supper.” She informed him.</p><p>“Oh, sorry.” Dick apologized, leaning back in his chair.</p><p>“Considering how focused you were, I take it that you haven’t found anything.” Rachel guess as she sat down on an empty spot on the desk.</p><p>“Nope, not yet. That means I’m either seeing something that isn’t there, or these guys are really good at covering their tracks.” Dick replied, his brown eyes going back to stare at the screen.</p><p>“Are you that sure that this is all connected?” Rachel asked, tilting her head so she could also see the screen. Dick was glad that she was looking at that and not his face. He didn’t want her to be able to see that it wasn’t just that the criminals that had his attention, it was the sniper. There was just something about him that was familiar but he didn’t know why.</p><p>“It’s mostly a gut feeling, a really strong one. But every now and then, gut feelings can be wrong.” Dick answered.</p><p>“Maybe you should focus more on who killed them than if the criminals are connected.” Rachel suggested. Dick shifted in his chair to hide that his tension.</p><p>“I tried. Whoever it was, was a professional and left no evidence whatsoever.” Dick told her, not lying but not giving her the whole story either. He needed to keep her and Gar safe, and until he knew more. He didn’t want to risk them going after a sniper. They weren’t ready for that.</p><p>“Here,” Rachel said, holding out a fork, “eat. No going out on patrol on an empty stomach. One of the rules, remember?”</p><p>“I remember, thank you.” Dick replied, taking the utensil from her.</p><p>“Good, so eat. Patrol’s in about two hours.” Rachel told him before she got off the desk and started heading towards the door.</p><p>“Only if you and Gar have finished your homework. That’s another rule.” Dick reminded her.</p><p>“We did.” Rachel assured him and continued towards the door. She then heard Dick ask, “And neither of you have any tests coming up or anything?”</p><p>“Not for another couple of weeks.” Rachel answered.</p><p>“Good. I’ll be out soon.” Dick told her, taking a bite of the dinner she brought him.</p><p>“Heard that one before.” Rachel mumbled under her breath. Since Dick didn’t respond, she assumed he didn’t hear her and she finally left the room.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>“Diiick!” The detective heard Gar call him, dragging out his name longer than was needed, “Time for patrol!”</p><p>With a frustrated groan, Dick saved his work, turned everything off and headed out of the room. The secret closet in the living room where they kept their uniforms and weapons was open. Only his stuff was still there as Kory, Donna, Rachel and Gar were already dressed and ready to go. However, Hank and Dawn weren’t in the room.</p><p>“Is it just us tonight?” Dick wondered. Hank and Dawn would normally be here by now if they were coming.</p><p>“Hank’s old knee injury is acting up again. They’re going to stay in tonight.” Donna answered, grabbing his Nightwing suit and throwing to him. Dick easily caught it and started heading back to his room to change.</p><p>“Hurry up.” Gar told him impatiently, just barely managing to keep from jumping in excitement. Part of Dick wanted to smile, but another part of him was starting to get slightly annoyed. It was nice to see how much Gar loved patrol, loved helping people and being a hero, but his impatience and excitement was at times annoying. He kept his mouth shut about it though because he’d rather see Gar happy instead of feeling like he had to hide how he was truly feeling out of fear of getting rebuked for it. Dick was all too familiar with that feeling and didn’t want that for either of his kids.</p><p>In less than five minutes, he was dressed and they were out on the streets. Or more accurately, the roofs. Being up high gave them the advantage of spotting crime without being seen by those committing the crime. Plus, if they walked down the streets, then they would be noticed by those passing them by and that wasn’t attention they needed or wanted. So they flew/jumped/swung from building to building high above everyone else.</p><p>“You going to be able to stay focused?” Donna asked Dick once they landed on a roof in downtown San Francisco while Kory, Gar and Rachel went on ahead of them.</p><p>“Of course I will.” Dick replied, a little hurt that the girl who was practically his sister would ask him that. He knew how important it was to keep your head in the game while on patrol. They both did. It was something that was ingrained in them the moment they first put on their suits and became superheroes.</p><p>“You just seem to have something on your mind.” Donna said gently, not wanting to make him more defensive than he already was.</p><p>“I can’t help but feel, that there’s something familiar about the person who shot those criminals.” Dick revealed.</p><p>“You think you know who the killer is?” Donna questioned, her brows furrowing in confusion.</p><p>“I don’t know. I’ve dealt with many assassins as a detective and as Robin. And the bullets came from a rifle that almost every sniper would have. So there’s no way to narrow it down. But, I just have a sick feeling in my stomach that something else is going on.” Dick responded. He then quickly shook his head and said, “Forget it. We have a job to do.”</p><p>With that, Dick shot his grapple gun and swing after the others. Donna sighed in irritation before following.</p><p>For the most part, the night was quiet. A few drunken idiots that were being very stupid on the streets and in the park. With those, they just anonymously called the police to come pick them up. Then, there was one man who was trying to steal a lady’s purse but that was it. Until it was nearing one in the morning. Dick was about to call in a night as Gar and Rachel had school in the morning and nothing was going on, when Kory reported seeing something strange happening by the docks.</p><p>“Can you tell what it is?” Dick asked as he and Rachel started making their way towards her. They had decided to split up earlier when they realized not much was going on. Kory was with Gar, Dick was with Rachel and Donna was solo, occasionally joining up with one of the groups.</p><p><em>“It’s one of those long shipping containers, but they haven’t opened it so I don’t know what’s inside.”</em> Dick heard Kory’s answer through the communicator in his ear.</p><p><em>“Any chance that it’s just a late shipment coming in?”</em> Rachel wondered through her own earpiece.</p><p><em>“If it was, I doubt the people receiving it would all be wearing masks.”</em> Kory responded.</p><p><em>“Okay yeah, something’s up.”</em> Donna’s voice chimed in. Dick silently agreed.</p><p>By the time he and Rachel got to the spot where Kory and Gar were waiting, Donna was already there. Dick went over to the ledge and looked down. The shipping container had already been taken off the boat and sure enough, the people on the ground waiting to take it were wearing ski masks. He leaned closer, trying to get a better look and come up with a way to find out what was going on and take them down. There was only one idea that came to his mind that had the best chance of getting intel without letting those below know that they were here.</p><p>Turning to the green-haired teenager, he asked, “Can you turn into something that won’t be noticeable, fly down there, and see what’s going on?”</p><p>“Yeah, sure.” Gar replied. Before he could shift though, Dick out his hand on his shoulder and added, “Just look, listen to what they say and report back. Don’t do anything that will attract their attention to you or us.”</p><p>Gar nodded, then shifted. At first, it was as though he just vanished into thin air, but then he heard the buzzing of a fly and saw a little green blob right in front of his eyes that he knew if it wasn’t as dark as it was, he’d see that it was a fly. They were still figuring out what all animals Gar could turn into, but it was starting to appear that he could turn into any living thing, mammal, bird, insect. Turning into a house fly was not the weirdest thing he had done.</p><p>The tiny green fly flew away down to the people below and Dick turned back to the others, “We are going to split up, create a circle around them. There are a few paths they can take out of here and we don’t know which one they are planning on using. With us surrounding them, it will be harder for them to escape. Kory, you go left. Rachel and Donna, you two go right.”</p><p>The three quickly carried out their leader’s orders while Dick stayed on the rooftop they were just on. He watched them all get into position. Kory on the roof of a building about half a block from him, close to the bay. Rachel half a block away on his right and Donna on the other side of her about the same distance away from her as he was, also near the bay. They were pretty spread out and Dick knew that there was a very high chance that if they had to engage with the masked people they were watching, that they weren’t going to catch every single on of them. But as long as they kept that shipment from going out, then it should be fine. First though, they had to see what was going on. Until Gar returned with any intel they would stay put.</p><p>It was only about a minute after Dick saw everyone get into position that he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong. He looked over in the directions his teammates had gone and they seemed okay. He then looked down at the criminals, thinking that maybe Gar was in trouble, but as far as he could tell, they had no idea that they were being watched. Then, he heard it.</p><p>The soft sound of shuffling footsteps of a person trying not to make any noise as they walked. If it wasn’t for his training with Batman, they might’ve succeeded. But Dick heard it. There was someone else on the roof and he, or she, was trying to sneak up on him. The former Robin didn’t move, not even to tense up. Instead, he waited for the person to come closer, waited until he saw an arm in the corner of his eye and reacted.</p><p>He ducked under the arm and rolled to the right until he landed in a crouched position and reached for one of his escrima sticks. His attacker, a tall figure that appeared bulky due to his armour, was apparently expecting that because he was already in front of him and struck him in the face with his hand, a hand that was wearing what felt like a metal glove, like a gauntlet.</p><p>The blow was enough to not only cut his cheek, but to stun him and knock him over, causing his earpiece to fall out as well. Dick quickly went into another roll to get away, needing the distance to be able to get back to his feet so he could fight but the person was quick despite the heavy armour he was wearing. Seeing him approach, Dick swung out the weapon he had managed to pull from his back and swung it out and under the attacker’s leg which forced him to fall on his knee. However, he was still too close him. The man in armour reached forward and wrapped one of his hands around Dick’s neck and squeezed. The hero tried to move his legs to kick him away, but the attacker simply moved to sit on his legs and then, with his free hand, he punched Dick in the face. Stars exploded in his eyes for a second, then everything went black.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Failed Search</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We’re all in position Nightwing.” Donna said into her earpiece watching the criminals below carefully. After a minute of no response, she frowned and said, “Nightwing, do you copy?”</p><p><em>“Raven, Starfire, can you two hear me?”</em> Donna then asked, thinking that maybe her earpiece wasn’t working.</p><p><em>“I can hear you.”</em> Rachel answered, closely followed by Kory’s reply,<em> “Same here.”</em></p><p>Now growing concerned, Donna looked over at the building where Dick was supposed to be. Since that building was taller than the one she was on, she couldn’t really see much of the roof but Dick would always be standing by the edge. He wasn’t. Before she could call for him again, Gar’s voice crackled into her ear.</p><p>
  <em>“Guys? You should get over here, now.”</em>
</p><p>Starting to panic inwardly, Donna rushed back to the roof that they had all left only about five minutes ago. She got there just as Rachel and Kory did. While she was closer to the building then they were, they were faster and could fly. When she landed, the first thing she noticed was that Dick wasn’t there at all. However, Gar was and he was crouched down a few feet away with his back to them.</p><p>“What happened Beast Boy?” Donna questioned, walking over to him.</p><p>“I don’t know. I heard what those guys down there were talking about, flew up to tell Di-Nightwing, but he wasn’t here. Then I saw his earpiece and this.” Gar answered, then gestured to what he was looking at. One of Dick’s escrima sticks was laying in front of the shapeshifter with a few drops of something that looked black on it and on the ground beside it. Donna bent down and touched it with her right index finger, which came back red.</p><p>Looking up at the others, she lifted her fingers to show them the blood before saying, “He must’ve been attacked.”</p><p>Not really giving the others a chance to really react to that, Donna looked around for more clues. Whoever it was couldn’t have gone far with Dick. Not even ten minutes had passed since they first left the roof. Immediately spying a door that would lead straight into the building, she ordered, “Check that door. Dick and whoever else was up here might have gone down there.”</p><p>Rachel immediately rushed to check the door while the vigilante/photographer turned to the others and said, “Someone check the fire escape.”</p><p>Kory did that, but quickly reported, “There’s nothing here.”</p><p>“And this door is locked. Unless someone opened it, took Dick through it and locked it again, they didn’t go this way.” Rachel told the others, still pulling on the door handle in an attempt to open it.</p><p>“Kory, Gar, search the streets from the air. Rachel, you come with me.” Donna ordered as she made her way towards the purple-haired teenager. From the sound of the wind behind her, she knew that the other two had done what she told them to.</p><p>When Donna got to the door, she kicked it wide open, not even bothering to try the handle since Rachel already had and time was of the essence. She then started running down the stairs as fast as she could. She could hear that Rachel was behind her but was struggling to keep up. With her excessive training and strength, running down the stairs without slowing or tripping was easy for the young woman. The girl following her didn’t have that much training or strength yet.</p><p>“Shouldn’t we check the hallways and apartments?” Rachel wondered as she tried to catch up to Donna.</p><p>“I highly doubt whoever attacked and took Nightwing actually lives here.” Donna replied, focusing more on getting down the stairs as fast as possible than Rachel at the moment. The faster they went, they sooner they could catch whoever seemingly just kidnapped Dick.</p><p>“But what if whoever took him rented one of the apartments or something?” Rachel then asked, unaware of the frustrated expression on the older woman’s face. While Donna was glad that the young girl was asking questions, part of being a vigilante/superhero was detective work and asking questions was a big part of that, this wasn’t really the time for that.</p><p>“Not likely. Too risky with all the other people in the building. They’d notice pretty quickly if someone was being held hostage in a nearby apartment. Walls are too thin.” Donna answered with a short tone, trying her best not to snap. It wasn’t Rachel’s fault, she was just trying to help.</p><p>Rachel didn’t say anything else, apparently getting the hint that Donna didn’t want to deal with questions right now. And only a few seconds later, they reached the bottom of the stairs, having come across no one at all. The brunette didn’t stop though. She ran to the door, bushed it open and rushed outside. As she looked all around the street for any sign of Dick, for any sign of anyone, but there was not a soul in sight.</p><p>When she realized that, she brought her hand up to her earpiece and said, “Starfire? Do you see anything?”</p><p><em>“Nothing. There are a few people walking around, mostly by the bars and clubs. Same with cars. Nothing suspicious.”</em> Kory reported back.</p><p>“Do you know if Beast Boy has seen anything?” Wonder Girl then asked as Raven came to stand beside her.</p><p><em>“Not that I’m aware of.”</em> Starfire replied. Even though Gar had a suit that stayed on when he changed back from whatever animal he shifted into, they hadn’t yet made an earpiece or something like that that could stay on the teenager when he shifted. And even if they were able to come up with something like that, Gar could only use it if he was in human form. He couldn’t talk when he was an animal.</p><p>“Okay, I’m going to send Raven to search with him, then I’m going to call Hawk and Dove and get them to join us.” Donna looked over at Rachel as she spoke, making sure that she heard her. Rachel immediately nodded and took off into the air.</p><p><em>“We’ll let you know if we find anything.”</em> Kory told her, though Donna barely heard her as she was already pulling her phone out and typing in Dawn’s number. There was no time to waste. They had to find Dick.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>It was past sunup by the time that the five heroes that were looking for Nightwing finally headed him. Once Hank and Dawn had heard the Dick was missing, Dawn went out to help while Hank started searching through traffic cameras, security cameras from surrounding buildings and businesses for any sign of their missing team member but was having a hard time finding anything. Since it was morning though, they had to call it quits. The city was waking up which meant that they would be seen far more easily and the last thing they needed was that. More importantly though, they were all extremely tired. They had to go get some rest. As much as they wanted to keep looking, it wouldn’t do any good to collapse from exhaustion.</p><p>Hank heard the others return and heard the teenagers being ordered to go straight to bed. They argued a little but soon the faint sound of two pairs of feet heading to their respective bedrooms floated into the room. Then he heard the door to the room he was in open and Donna asking, “Did you find anything?”</p><p>Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her, Dawn and Kory enter the room. Turning back to the computer, he said, “Maybe. This one camera from a few streets away from where he was last seen might have caught something, but I don’t know for sure.”</p><p>He pulled up the footage and played it. It showed an alley that was completely dark, the only light coming from a nearby streetlight. Hank zoomed in on the alley to show the others what was confusing him. At first, they didn’t see anything, but the longer they stared they started to realize that there was something strange going on in the video. The shadows were wrong, they were moving. Hank was right, the camera did catch something.</p><p>“Can’t you clean it up a little so it’s clearer?” Kory inquired, looking over at him. She tried to keep her voice calm even though every inch of her wanted to storm out of the apartment to keep looking for Dick.</p><p>“I don’t know. Dick was always the one who did the computer stuff.” Hank answered somewhat sheepishly. Sure, he knew hot to do research and the basics of hacking, hard to be vigilante without knowing that, but he was pretty useless at anything beyond that.</p><p>Donna then suddenly leaned across him and started typing on the keyboard. Hank rolled his chair back to give her more room, letting her take over completely. Whatever she did though didn’t help much. It separated the shadows a little, making them look almost like human figures, which they probably were. However, that was it. They couldn’t tell who was in the alley and they knew it could be anyone.</p><p>“When was this?” Dawn asked, squinting at the screen, trying to make out the shadows.</p><p>“About four hours ago.” Hank told them, glancing down at the time stamp.</p><p>“Two hours after Dick disappeared.” Kory mumbled quietly, the others barely catching her words. After thinking it all over for a minute, she asked, “Is there another way out of that alley?”</p><p>Donna, still in control of the keyboard, pulled up the map, zoomed in on the location and said, “Only other way out is through a sewer entrance.”</p><p>“If that was Dick, and whoever took him, and they went down into the sewers they could’ve ended up anywhere.” Dawn told them.</p><p>“And we still don’t even know who took him.” Hank pointed out.</p><p>“So that’s it? We just give up?” Kory hoped that that wasn’t what the others were saying. That better not be what they were saying and if it was, then she’d have no problem going off on them.</p><p>“We can go back to where Dick was taken and see if we find fingerprints or hair samples or something that can tell us who the other person is. But if there’s nothing there, then there’s nothing really we can do.” Hank replied.</p><p>“We can’t just sit back and do nothing!” Kory shouted.</p><p>“Kory calm down. Rachel and Gar are sleeping.” Dawn tried to calm the alien. Kory though look like she was about to start yelling again but before she could, Donna said, “There might be another way.”</p><p>“How?” Kory asked, looking over at her.</p><p>“Batman.”</p><p>“Donna, Dick cut out his tracker, remember? Batman can’t track him.” Dawn reminded her.</p><p>“You guys really think that that is the only way Batman can find someone?” Donna questioned. Without waiting for a response, she continued, “He has contingency plans for his contingency plans and he’s the world’s greatest detective. If anyone can find Dick, it’s him.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Deathstroke's Return</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Something was wrong. Dick knew that before he could open his eyes. He was moving and judging from the bouncing and the feeling of blood rushing to his head, he was being carried over someone’s shoulder. Someone who was wearing a lot of armour that was currently digging into his stomach. He tried to open his eyes, wanting to figure out what was going on, but felt his eyelashes brushing against what felt like fabric, and saw nothing but darkness. He was blindfolded.</p><p>As much as every instinct in him was telling him to panic, Dick had been through this enough times to know not to do that, which was actually a little depressing. As Robin, he was abducted by supervillains and criminals wanting to get at Batman and as Dick Grayson, he was kidnapped by criminals wanting a quick and big payday from Bruce Wayne. He had actually lost count of how many times he had been kidnapped by the time he was 16. One of the first things he learned from his experiences was to not panic because that would definitely get his captor’s attention who would probably either hurt him or knock him out in order to get him to stop and he didn’t need to deal with injuries and needed to stay awake in order to figure out what was going on. So he kept his breathing even and his body limp.</p><p>While he was doing that, he tried to figure out more of what was going on. Dick tried to remember what had happened that landed him in this situation, but couldn’t recall anything after leaving the apartment with the others to go on patrol. His head was pounding though and he could feel something caked on the left side of his forehead that he was pretty sure was blood. He must’ve been knocked out, probably had concussion. The detective also felt his hands tied behind his back, zip-ties he guessed from how thin yet strong the binds felt and that there was only one loop.</p><p>It was then that the person carrying him stumbled, causing the person’s armour to shift. It was only slightly, but it was enough to dig even more painfully into his stomach and he couldn’t help but tense up and groan through the duct tape he just realized was covering his mouth. The person stopped, apparently figuring out that his captive was awake then grabbed him and lowered him to the ground, which was cold and wet. Knowing that he was found out, Dick tried to kick the person while his hands struggled to get the zip-ties in the right position so he could break them. His kidnapper didn’t like that because a metal boot suddenly slammed into his stomach.</p><p>The blow easily knocked the wind out of him and before he could recover, Dick felt the sharp pain of a needle being stabbed into his neck. Within seconds, he felt extremely disoriented and was unconscious before the man picked him back up and continued on his way.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>The next time Dick awoke, he felt groggier and more sluggish than he did the first time. It also took him a few minutes to remember regaining consciousness the last time and what he had figured out before being drugged. He wasn’t being carried anymore, wasn’t moving at all. He was sitting upright in a chair, and considering how stiff his neck and back were, he must’ve been there awhile. Not hearing or sensing anyone around, he decided to risk opening his eyes.</p><p>The blindfold was gone, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. That meant that his kidnapper didn’t care if he knew where he was and unless he was wearing a mask, then he didn’t care if he knew his identity. And that meant either the person who took him was an idiot, or was planning to kill him. He really hoped that the person was an idiot. Idiot kidnappers were easy to escape from, especially since he didn’t have to worry about maintaining his civilian identity. So many times when he had been abducted as Dick Grayson, he could have easily escaped due to his training as Robin but he couldn’t because that would raise too many questions. So he’d have to wait for either the police or Batman to rescue him.</p><p>Looking around, he saw that he was in a dark room, the only light coming from under a door that was anywhere from 10 to 15 feet in front of him. The lack of light made it very difficult for him to figure out where he was and to see what was around him. All he could make out was the stuff on the floor or near the floor that the light his and the outline of everything higher than that. He saw that the room was small and instead there being tables like there usually is, there were counters along that same wall as the door. That was different. What kind of building was he in?</p><p>Dick then turned his head in both directions as far as he could to see if there was a window that he could look out of and figure out where he was. Unfortunately, there was no window so he turned his attention to the chair he was sitting on and the restraints keeping him there.</p><p>His captor didn’t use zip-ties this time like he had last time he woke up, and he didn’t use rope or handcuffs like most of his kidnappers did. Instead, it was duct tape keeping his arms trapped to the<br/>chair’s arms and it didn’t just go around his wrists. It covered his entire hands and fingers. That was a first and was actually pretty smart. Duct tape was hard to escape from as it could be extremely tight<br/>and stuck to all surfaces which it was, so you couldn’t just slip your hands out even if you did dislocate your thumbs. It was also hard to simply break free from the duct tape unless you were extremely strong. While he was really strong, he couldn’t break free because the person wrapped the tape around his wrists and fingers several times, making it a lot stronger. His only chance of getting free was either getting rescued or cutting off the tape which he couldn’t do because he didn’t have a weapon nor could he even move his fingers.</p><p>Knowing there wasn’t anything he could do except wait for something to happen, he slumped in his chair, wondering how long it would take. One of the worst things about being held hostage, besides being tortured and the feeling of helplessness, was the boredom that came with the waiting. While he’d gotten better at waiting, he still hated it as much as he did the first time he was kidnapped.</p><p>As Dick tried, and failed, to make himself comfortable in his seat, he became aware of how much his head was throbbing. The small amount of adrenaline that he got when he realized and somewhat remembered what was going on was now gone, allowing him to fully feel how badly his head was hurting. He still couldn’t fully remember how he had been captured or who had captured him, but he was pretty sure that he was given a blow to his head. It was the only explanation for the type of headache he had and the feeling of something caked on his face that was most likely dried blood. Drugs wouldn’t do that. He was starting to wonder just how long it had been since he had been kidnapped when the door in front of him finally opened.</p><p>A tall, well-muscled, armour-clad, dark figure loomed in the doorway for a minute, blocking the light from the hallway, making him look all the more terrifying and intimidating. Or, it would’ve been to any normal person, but Dick wasn’t a normal person. He had fought with Batman against Scarecrow, Two-Face, the Joker, and more. He had even been kidnapped by some of them during his time as Robin. He didn’t get scared or intimidated that easily. The only thing that was making Dick feel uneasy was that he didn’t know who this person was so he didn’t know what to expect from him. Then, the person reached over and turned on the light in the room, allowing Dick to see his surroundings but more importantly, his captor.</p><p>The former Robin felt his breath catch in his throat and he would’ve gasp if he could but a strip of duct tape over his mouth that he just realized was there prevented him from doing that. The man dressed in black and orange armour came forward to stand in front of him, reached out and ripped the duct tape off Dick’s mouth, none to gently, and asked, “Something you want to say?”</p><p>“You’re supposed to be dead.” The words slipped out before Dick even realized it.</p><p>His captor chuckled, then pulled his helmet off as he said, “I probably should be, but so should you.”</p><p>As Dick stared into the older, one-eyed face of the man who had tormented him and his team years ago, he tried to keep his breathing even and told himself to remain calm instead of freaking out like he wanted to. Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, the assassin for hire who tried to kill him and the Titans five years ago, who succeeded in killing his friend, and kidnapped and tortured him, who they thought had died, was alive. Not only was he still alive, he had tracked him down and kidnapped him again. Wasn’t once enough? Dick would actually rather have Deathstroke kill him instead of being his prisoner again. He barely survived the last time and he still had no idea how he actually recovered without any permanent damage. He doubted he would be that lucky this time.</p><p>When Dick didn’t respond to Slade’s words, he decided to do the talking.</p><p>“I like the new suit. It’s definitely better for your fighting style. The name is a bit stupid though.”</p><p>“It’s better than ‘Deathstroke’.” Dick told him. Slade gave him a curious glance and asked, “Is that so?”</p><p>“Well, ‘Deathstroke’ is a bit of a cliché kind of name for an assassin, don’t you think?” Dick said with a smile.</p><p>Humour wasn’t really a defense he used that often anymore like he did when he was younger. Making jokes, laughing at the criminals and having a care-free attitude often freaked out, confused and/or infuriated whoever he was fighting against or who kidnapped him. Now that he was older and had been a vigilante for several years, he could just intimate people with his words, skills and at times, just his presence. Slade however wasn’t the kind of person who got intimated, so Dick fell back to his old defense. Using humour could cause Slade to fall into a banter with him which would buy him some time to either figure out a way to escape or for someone to rescue him. Or at the very least, get some information from him.</p><p>“Unlike superhero names, which are designed to inspire hope, assassin names are supposed to strike fear into those who hear it.” Slade responded.</p><p>“True, but with both heroes and criminals, it’s not just the name but the people who wear them.” Dick pointed out.</p><p>“Are you saying my name is scarier than I am?” Deathstroke questioned skeptically.</p><p>Dick stared, trying to think of a way out of this because he truly couldn’t deny that Slade was downright terrifying but didn’t want to admit it. And if he did, then Slade would try to prove to him how scary he can be. After a few seconds though, he said. “I’m saying that you are not very popular due to your name and occupation. If you changed them, then you’d probably be invited to more parties.”</p><p>“Bills have to be paid kid, and there’s not a lot of money in the hero business.” The assassin told him.</p><p>“Is that why you killed all those criminals we caught? You were paid to?” The hero wondered.</p><p>“I don’t kill strangers for no reason. I kill for those who give me a paycheck. Those who get in my way, those who cross me, those who wrong me,” Deathstroke pulled out his sword, pressing the sharp edge against Dick’s throat as he said that before continuing, “are not so lucky.”</p><p>“And you waited five years to come after me because?” Dick asked, hoping that Slade would continue the conversation even though he knew that the man wouldn’t kill him, not yet and most definitely not that quickly. He would make him suffer first.</p><p>“Sorry, but that’s not your business.” Slade responded, lowering his sword from Dick’s neck to let it rest on his shoulder.</p><p>“Considering I am sitting here, I think it kinda is.” Dick replied.</p><p>“I think you have more, pressing, concerns to deal with right now.” Slade told him, moving the blade again to place the flat side under Dick’s chin and forced him to tilt his head up.</p><p>“I like to have the details if you don’t mind.” The detective said despite knowing that the time for talking was over.</p><p>“Get used to disappointment.” Slade said, pulling the sword away from Dick completely and put it back in its sheath. Dick relaxed ever so slightly, only to be punched in the face, forcing his head to the right.</p><p>Grunting, more in shock than pain, Dick slowly turned his head back to face Slade, mumbling through his now bloodied lip, “It’s not really fair to punch someone when they can’t defend themselves.”</p><p>“Life isn’t fair. You and I both know that.” Slade replied. Dick didn’t say anything to that.</p><p>Throwing another punch into Dick’s face, Slade asked, “Besides, you didn’t think you could get away with what you and your little team did, did you?”</p><p>Dick again stayed silent. The conversation part was over. Anything said would now only rile up the assassin more and he was riled up enough as it was. The last thing he wanted to do was make it worse. Plus, the latest punch hit his jaw pretty hard. Not hard enough to break or dislocate it, but enough that he was sure that it would hurt to talk.</p><p>After another punch, this time to his ribs that knocked the breath out of him, Slade grabbed a handful of his hair on the top of his head and yanked it up so he was looking at him. Staring directly into his eyes, Slade said, “What? No more jokes or annoying little quips?”</p><p>Dick smiled and then spat at him, hitting his kidnapper right on the nose. Slade froze in shock for a few seconds before he brought up the hand that wasn’t holding his captive’s hair and wiped the spit off of his face. Then he looked back at Dick. Seeing that he was still smiling, an enraged expression came upon his face and he punched him in the face again, letting go of his hair in the process. This punch had enough force to not only cause the young man to see stars, but to fall down to the ground, the chair falling with him.</p><p>Black spots quickly replaced the stars. The last thing Dick knew was the sound of glass shattering and the blurry image of Deathstroke’s feet leaving the room before his eyes shut and his ears stopped working.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Back in Gotham</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing that Dick saw when he opened his eyes was an extremely bright light shining directly down on him. He immediately shut them and groaned as the light made his head pound.</p><p>“Dick? Are you awake?” He heard a familiar voice ask, then felt a large hand rest on his shoulder. Slowly, Dick turned his head to the side where he heard the voice come from and opened his eyes to find a blurry figure beside him. It took a few seconds, but soon the blurry figure came into focus as one Bruce Wayne. Behind him, a familiar roof, light, and walls surrounded him.</p><p>“Bruce?” Dick said with a hoarse voice, only now aware of how dry his throat was. When was the last time he had anything to drink?</p><p>The billionaire, apparently expecting that, moved the hand he had on the acrobat’s shoulder to wrap his arm under both of his shoulders and helped him up into a sitting position. Once he was upright, Bruce handed him a cup of water that was sitting on the table near the medical bed that he was lying on. Dick, with a slightly shaky hand, took the offered drink and took a few sips before he looked back over at Bruce and asked, “What happened?”</p><p>“What do you remember?” The older man inquired, his voice, though still fairly serious was a gentler than it normally is.</p><p>“We were on patrol, the Titans and I. Then, I’m exactly sure. I think I woke up in a tunnel or something and then I was drugged. Next time I woke up, I was with Slade. He kidnapped me.” Dick answered, going quieter at the last sentence as the few memories he had came back to him.</p><p>“You took several blows to the head which gave you a minor concussion. The drug is already out of your system. It was probably just a sedative. You also have some bruised ribs, and a superficial cut on your forehead, but other than that, you’re fine.” Bruce filled him in watching him intently, though Dick didn’t really notice. He was too busy examining his surroundings. He had an inkling of where he was when he saw that Bruce was with him, but now he knew for sure. He was in the infirmary area of the Batcave. He was back in Gotham, right under the Manor.</p><p>Turning back to face his former guardian, Dick asked, “How did you find me? And why did you bring me here?”</p><p>“Donna called me, the morning after you disappeared. They weren’t with you when it happened but they were pretty sure you were kidnapped. They spent the entire night looking for you but Slade covered his tracks very well. They didn’t even know who took you, so they called me. I checked and saw the tracker I put on you was still working. I went to the location, spooked Slade enough that he bolted, found you and brought you here.” Bruce explained in his monotone voice, the one that Dick hated so much.</p><p>“Why didn’t you just take me back home? And what tracker” He then wondered, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.</p><p>If Bruce got involved with anything, he always tried to take it over, whether as Batman or as Bruce Wayne. He had to be in control. He didn’t trust anyone else to handle situations the way he thought that they needed to be handled. It was his way or the highway. Bringing him here, to the Cave put him under his control again, if only a little. But it wouldn’t last long, not if Dick could help it. It had taken so long to break free from the older man’s control. He wasn’t going to be pulled back under it now.</p><p>“Slade had brought you to Jump City. Gotham’s closer than San Francisco. And I had Lucius put a tracker in your suit before he sent it to you.” Bruce answered, watching him closely, seeing that he was starting to get agitated, which was expected. He knew that Dick wouldn’t be jumping for joy when he realized where he was. Dick nodded, a more understanding look coming upon his face but he still didn’t look very happy about the situation which wasn’t a surprise either. Bruce knew Dick wasn’t going to be pleased to be back here or with him involved, or that he put another tracker on him.</p><p>Glancing over at Bruce, Dick asked, “How long was I gone?”</p><p>“About 22 hours.”</p><p>“Must’ve been a strong sedative,” Dick mumbled. He then looked Bruce right in the eyes and said in a louder voice, “Thanks for your help Bruce.”</p><p>“You're welcome Dick.” The billionaire replied, giving him a rare smile, one that immediately vanished when he saw Dick swing his legs over the side of the bed, “What do you think you’re doing?”</p><p>“Going home, to San Francisco.” The younger detective told him, then stood up. He was hit by a wave of dizziness almost immediately, causing him to stumble. Bruce however, quickly caught him and gently pushed him back down on the bed.</p><p>“You don’t have a car or a bike. Not that you should be driving anyways, not with a concussion. You also don’t have money or your credit cards on you so you can’t pay for a bus or plane ticket. You don’t even have any clothes to change into and you can’t go out in your Nightwing suit.” Bruce pointed out, putting a hand on Dick’s shoulder to keep him still. When Dick looked like he was about to argue, Bruce added, “And San Francisco is where Slade found you. If you go back, he’ll find you again and there’s a good chance that your teammates will get caught in the middle. Do you really want that?”</p><p>Dick glared at him but didn’t say anything. He knew that Bruce was right, but he hated it. He wracked his bruised brain, trying to come up with a plan that would keep his friends safe that didn’t involve staying at the Manor but was struggling to come up with any. He was pulled from his thoughts by an elderly, British voice saying, “Master Dick, it’s good to see you awake.”</p><p>Dick turned his head to find Alfred Pennyworth walking towards him, a smile on his wrinkled face and couldn’t help but smile in return. He had missed the butler who had basically become his grandfather to him when Bruce took him in. As Alfred reached his side, Dick said, “Hi Alfred. It’s good to see you.”</p><p>“The feeling is quite mutual, but I wish it was under better circumstances. I had hoped that you would have learned to be more careful by now.” Alfred told him, though the twinkle in his eyes told Dick that the man was somewhat teasing him however had no doubt that the elderly man was also somewhat serious. While it was extremely hard to faze Alfred, Dick knew he worried every time they all<br/>went out at night.</p><p>“Sorry Alfie.” Dick said, knowing that since he wasn’t that badly injured and was now safe that that was all Alfred needed to hear, especially since he knew that Bruce would be giving him a lecture on his failure for not being more aware of his surroundings soon enough.</p><p>Alfred, while not really fond of anything less than proper, beamed at the nickname the young man in front of him had given him not long after Bruce brought him to the Manor. He then scanned him over real quick with his eyes and asked, “Are you feeling alright Master Dick?”</p><p>“A little headache, but that’s it.” Dick answered, not mentioning how sore he really was. From the look of skepticism on his face, he knew Alfred didn’t believe him. The wise butler knew that both Batman and the former Robin downplayed their injuries so they could keep going, much to his annoyance. Dick wouldn’t at all be surprised if Jason was the same way.</p><p>Alfred didn’t say anything about that though. He just held out his hand and offered him a white pill bottle that Dick only now saw. As he did that, he said, “I figured that would be the case. Take two of these, they will help.”</p><p>“Are they going to knock me out?” Dick asked, looking at Alfred suspiciously. More than once he had seen him give Bruce painkillers that were actually sedatives in order to force him to get some rest. He had fallen victim to the same tactic a few times as well.</p><p>“No Master Dick. They are just some aspirin to help your headache. Getting some rest however would be beneficial.” Alfred replied. Dick examined the bottle and seeing the aspirin label, took out the recommended dose and swallowed the pills dry. Once he did that, he stood up again, shrugging Bruce’s hand off his shoulder in the process.</p><p>“Did you not hear I word I said Dick? You have no way to get back to San Francisco and you shouldn’t even be going back there anyways.” Bruce told him, his frustration obvious in his voice. Dick briefly wondered how long it would take for his former guardian to start yelling and ordering him around like he did when he was kid before he pushed the thought down and said, “I’m not staying here.”</p><p>“Don’t act like a child. It’d be better off for you and your team if you remain here.” Bruce responded, getting up from the chair he was sitting on to follow the police officer.</p><p>“Wow, awake for less than five minutes and already you two are already fighting. That’s gotta be some kind of record.” The three men all turned their heads to the source of the voice to find Jason Todd coming down the steps towards them, an amused expression on his face.</p><p>“Stay out of this Jason.” Bruce ordered. Getting Dick to agree to stay with them was already going to be hard enough without Jason making it worse. Luckily, his newest ward decided to do what he was told and went off to the side and kept his mouth shut, apparently content to just watch what was going on.</p><p>Turning back to face Dick, Bruce said in a calmer voice, “I know you don’t want to be here but think about it. If you go back, Slade will find you. And though you and your team are strong and skilled, they could easily get hurt, or worse.”</p><p>“Slade knows my real identity. You think he can’t find me here?” Dick questioned.</p><p>“It’s one thing to kidnap Nightwing. It’s another to kidnap Dick Grayson, adopted son of billionaire Bruce Wayne from his mansion in Gotham.” Bruce replied.</p><p>Dick couldn’t deny that Bruce had a point there, had several points actually, even though he really wanted to. After all, who was he to show up out of nowhere, bring him back to Gotham and start telling him what to do? Especially after what had all happened between them. And yet, he was right. He didn’t have a way to get back to San Francisco, and if he did, he’d easily be found by Deathstroke again. He was probably safer here. He also knew from experience that the assassin would have no qualms about hurting or even killing his friends to get to him. Staying away was probably best for them.</p><p>Still glaring at Bruce, Dick said, “Fine, I’ll stay, but just until Slade is found and dealt with.”</p><p>While Bruce’s face remained impassive, Dick could see the relief in his eyes. After living with the Dark Knight for so many years, he had quickly learned how to read his expressions and body language. In fact, if he didn’t know any better, he’d say that Bruce actually looked like he was a little glad that he had agreed to stay. That wasn’t possible though. The last time he saw Bruce truly happy was when he was about 15, 16 years old. He doubted that had changed despite all the years that had passed since then.</p><p>Dick quickly shoved those thoughts out of his head and asked, “You still have burner phones in the top drawer at the desk?”</p><p>“Yes, why?” Bruce then asked, raising a confused eyebrow.</p><p>“Because I need to call my team and let them know that I’m alive and what’s going on. I’m assuming you didn’t think to do that.” Dick answered. From the way Bruce lowered his head, he knew that he was right. Without another word, he headed over to the desk, opened the drawer and sure enough, there were the burner phones. He grabbed one and headed off to a far-off corner of the cave for some privacy.</p><p>Once he was there, he typed out a phone number and pressed it against his ear. He winced as the loud ringing made the throbbing in his head worse, but luckily, it only rang once before he heard Donna’s voice answering,<em> “Hello?”</em></p><p>“It’s me.” Dick told her.</p><p><em>“Dick? Oh my G*d.”</em> Donna’s relieved voice came through. He then heard noises that sounded like rushed footsteps and other voices, though he couldn’t make out what they were saying. The next thing he head clearly was Donna when she said,<em> “I’m putting you on speakerphone.”</em></p><p>Seconds later, Dick heard Kory, Rachel, Gar, Hank and Dawn all calling his name, asking where he was and if he was alright. He smiled at the sound of their voices but also had to pull the phone away from his ear a little in order to save his hearing. They were practically screaming on the other end.</p><p>He waited for a few seconds until they all seemed to calm down a little before he said, “Hi guys.”</p><p><em>“Are you okay?”</em> Kory asked worriedly.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah I’m okay.” Dick answered with an assuring tone. After all, a minor concussion, some bruised ribs and a scrape on his head was nothing. He’d been injured a lot worse than that.</p><p><em>“Where are you?”</em> Kory asked at the exact same time as Gar asked, <em>“What happened?”</em></p><p>“I’m uh, I’m in Gotham.” Dick decided to answer Kory’s question instead of Gar’s. They didn’t know anything about Deathstroke, neither did Rachel and he didn’t think it was a good idea to tell them over the phone. In fact, he’d rather they didn’t know anything about Slade Wilson at all.</p><p><em>“Gotham?”</em> Dawn said, sounding a little confused.</p><p>“Yeah. Batman found me and brought me here.” Dick informed them, though in his opinion he shouldn’t have had to. Bruce already revealed that Donna had called him so this shouldn’t have been a surprise.</p><p><em>“Batman?”</em> Dick heard Gar’s quiet but excited voice, causing him to roll his eyes. Of course the teenager would be freaking out about Batman right now.</p><p><em>“Dick, what happened?”</em> Rachel then asked.</p><p>Knowing he couldn’t stall any longer, he said, “Deathstroke.”</p><p>There was silence on the other end of the phone for a minute before Donna said, <em>“One moment.”</em></p><p>She must’ve taken it off speaker because he could no longer hear what they were saying. He could hardly even hear their voices. He waited patiently though for a few minutes until Donna’s voice came back, <em>“Okay. Gar, Rachel and Kory are in the other room. Now talk.”</em></p><p>“I don’t really remember much, I was drugged, but yeah. Slade, sort of, kidnapped me.” Dick told them somewhat lamely.</p><p><em>“I thought Slade was dead.”</em> Hank chimed in.</p><p>“Yeah, we all did. We were wrong.” Dick replied. They all knew there was a chance that Slade could’ve survived the building collapse all those years ago, but they were all hoping that he didn’t.</p><p><em>“Did Batman get him?”</em> Donna demanded in a forceful tone. Anyone who didn’t know her would probably be almost too scared to actually answer he question, but Dick had known Donna ever since he was 10 years old and could easily pick up the anger and fear in her voice.</p><p>“No. Slade got away.” He reported back regretfully.</p><p><em>“Now what?”</em> Dawn wondered, to which Hank immediately replied, <em>“Now we wait for Dick to get back, then we track this monster down and deal with him once and for all.”</em></p><p>As much as Dick wanted to agree to Hank’s plan, he couldn’t. He had just agreed to Bruce’s plans. So he stayed silent which soon caught Donna’s attention.</p><p>
  <em>“Dick, what aren’t you telling us?”</em>
</p><p>“I’m going to have to stay here, in Gotham.” Dick slowly revealed.</p><p><em>“What? Why?”</em> Hank asked.</p><p>“Well -” Dick started but was suddenly cut off by Jason, who had snuck up behind him and shouted, “Because he’s got a concussion!”</p><p>“Jason buzz off!” Dick told him, annoyed by the new Robin butting into something he had nothing to do with. Chuckling, Jason smirked and walked away.</p><p><em>“A concussion?”</em> Dawn’s worried voice brought the police detective’s attention back to the phone.</p><p><em>“Wait, who’s Jason?”</em> Hank then asked.</p><p>“Jason’s, a long story. And it’s a very, very minor concussion. You know Bruce, he’s totally paranoid.” Dick tried to reassure them. When the others remained silent, he decided to explain the situation.</p><p>“Look, due to the fact that we’re dealing with Slade and what had just happened, Bruce thinks it would be safer for everyone if I stayed here. Slade knows my civilian identity and being in Gotham helps protect me more than being in San Francisco does. And he doesn’t know who you guys are, so as long as you all don’t go out on patrol or anything, you’ll all be safe.”</p><p><em>“Wait a minute. You want us to just hide?”</em> Hank couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Dick was the last one who’d back down and go into hiding when threatened.</p><p>“Just until we find where Slade’s hiding out. Then we’ll deal with him.” Dick replied, completely understanding where Hank was coming from. This whole situation was annoying him too.</p><p><em>“Batman’s taking over this whole thing, isn’t he?”</em> Donna asked, quickly realizing what was going on.</p><p>“Yeah pretty much.” Dick confirmed, then added, “Guys, until we know more, let’s just do it his way. I’ll stay here in Gotham and you guys stay off the streets. It’ll be safer for everyone, and I don’t want to bring Rachel, Gar and Kory into this mess. It has nothing to do with them. If Bruce and I find anything, I’ll call. And I’ll stay in touch. I promise.”</p><p><em>“Okay, we’ll do it his way.”</em> Donna agreed, but quietly muttered ‘for now’ under her breath.</p><p>“I’ll call you guys later.” Dick then told them and after they exchanged goodbyes, he hung up the phone.</p><p>Walking out of his corner, he put the phone down on the desk and groaned, running a hand over his face. He was officially stuck here now. He had agreed to Bruce’s plan, had told the others about it and now he couldn’t back out. Of all the ways he thought he’d end up back at the Manor, being forced to stay by Bruce because he had to hide from Deathstroke never entered his mind. And yet, here he was.</p><p>“Are you coming upstairs Master Dick?” Dick turned around to see Alfred coming towards him. Bruce and Jason both seemed to have left the Cave already which wasn’t all that surprising. When he didn’t say anything, the butler continued, “There are some sandwiches and a plate of fresh cookies in the kitchen. I imagine you must be hungry.”</p><p>Like always, Alfred was completely right. He hadn’t had anything to eat in over 24 hours and he was starving. Giving him a small smile, Dick said, “Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll be right up.”</p><p>Alfred nodded his head once before turning around and heading straight for the stairs. Dick watched him leave, then glanced around the Cave. Besides a few new weapons, a new case for Jason’s suit right beside the empty one that would’ve had Dick’s Robin suit if he hadn’t taken it with him when he left, or set it on fire, the place was exactly the same as it was when he left. It was oddly comforting and extremely weird at the same time.</p><p>“Home sweet home.” Dick mumbled to himself. After looking around a second time, he made his way up the stairs and towards the Manor.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Titans and Deathstroke</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have decided to mix the comic version, animated Teen Titans version, and the Titans version of Slade Wilson all together along with my own twist on things, so if you’ve read and seen them, then you won’t be too surprised by what’s going to happen, but it’s not going to be identical to what happens in there, so don’t expect it to. If you haven’t seen Teen Titans or read the comics, then you’re in for some surprises. I hope you all like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Donna hung up the phone after talking with Dick, she looked over at Hank and Dawn. They all had a mixture of anger, shock and fear on their faces. If she looked in the mirror, she was sure she’d find that she had the same expression on her own face. She didn’t know what to say and it didn’t seem like the two blondes didn’t know either. Until of course, Hank turned around to kick the couch and cursed loudly. Neither Dawn or Donna admonished him though, not in this situation.</p><p>“I just can’t believe this. He was supposed to be dead.” Dawn muttered in disbelief, slumping down onto the sofa.</p><p>“I know.” Donna replied, taking a seat on the couch.</p><p>The three then fell silent, trying to process this. They never, ever though they’d be here, back to being the Titans and needing to fight Deathstroke, again. They thought he was dead. He should be dead. He deserved to be dead for everything he did. He killed so many people, including their friend Garth, who was also Donna’s boyfriend, and he kidnapped and tortured Dick.</p><p>“Are we seriously going to let Bruce take over? It has nothing to do with him.” Hank questioned, not at all happy with the situation.</p><p>“You want to take it up with him?” Donna asked. She had a slight smirk on her face, a little entertained by the thought of Hank fighting with Bruce about this but was also fuming that they weren’t allowed to do anything to help find Slade.</p><p>Hank paled a little at the thought of actually fighting with Gotham’s Dark Night, but he didn’t answer. Donna then asked, “What do we tell Kory, Rachel and Gar?”</p><p>“The truth.” Dawn immediately answered, sounding as though it was obvious.</p><p>“But how much of it? There were some things that happened that they don’t need to know. Things that I highly doubt Dick wants them to know about.” Donna pointed out. There was no need for her to say what she was talking about. Hank and Dawn knew exactly what she was getting at.</p><p>“I guess they don’t really need to know about that part.” Hank said quietly after thinking it over.</p><p>Donna nodded, then looked over at Dawn. She was a bit more hesitant than Hank was about this. She wasn’t fond of keeping secrets but she knew that Dick wouldn’t want the kids or his girlfriend to know what Slade all did to him. She remembered how messed up he was after they got him back, physically and mentally. And it probably wasn’t that important right now. The only thing that mattered was that they find and catch Slade. So she nodded, agreeing to keep those details secret.</p><p>“I’d better go get them before they pace a hole into the floor or something.” Dawn said as she stood up and walked out of the room to get Kory, Rachel and Gar.</p><p>When she was gone, Hank looked over at Donna and asked, “You okay?”</p><p>“I’ll be a lot better when Slade is behind bars.” Donna answered.</p><p>Hank sat down on the sofa and said, “Don’t worry. He’s not getting away this time.”</p><p>“I hope you’re right.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>“I can’t believe they kicked us out. What are they talking about that we couldn’t stay and hear about?” Rachel asked as she paced in front of the door.</p><p>After Dick mentioned someone named Deathstroke, Donne took the phone off speaker and basically ordered her, Gar and Kory out of the living room. They argued about it, especially Kory as they all wanted to know what was going on, but Donna, Dawn and Hank would budge. Soon realizing that the members of the original Titans were not going to continue the conversation with them in the room, the other three finally agreed, but only if they were filled in on what was going on later. The others didn’t look happy about it, but ultimately said yes. So Rachel, Gar and Kory went to Kory and Dick’s bedroom and waited.</p><p>“I’m sure we’ll find out soon.” Kory told her, trying to sound calm even though she also wanted answers and was upset that she wasn’t allowed to know what was going on with her boyfriend.</p><p>After about 10 minutes, the door opened. Dawn poked her head in and said, “You guys can come back out now.”</p><p>The three immediately got up and followed the blonde back to the living room where Hank and Donna were sitting on the sofa and couch, waiting for them. The second they entered the room, Kory all but demanded, “Are you guys actually going to tell us what’s going on now?”</p><p>Dawn, Hank and Donna all exchanged looks as Dawn sat down on the sofa beside Hank and were silent for a few seconds, then Donna said, “The person who took Dick was Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke. He’s a mercenary, an assassin. We fought him a few years ago, back in the old Titans’ days. He’s actually the reason the Titans ended.”</p><p>The newest members of the team immediately went to sit down and Gar leaned forward in his seat and asked, “What happened?”</p><p>“A villain we were fighting, I don’t even remember who, tried to hire Slade to kill us. He was really annoyed we kept thwarting his plans. Slade didn’t take it, but his son Grant, who went by the name Ravager, did.” Dawn answered, sitting beside Hank who continued the story.</p><p>“We didn’t know that there was a killer after us until we were at this warehouse taking down a gang that was distributing drugs. Grant was there and tried to kill us.” When Hank stopped, Donna picked up where he left off.</p><p>“It made it a little harder, fighting an assassin on top of gang members but, we knew what we were doing. What we didn’t know, was that as a failsafe, Grant planted a bomb in the warehouse.”</p><p>“And it went off.” Kory assumed. Though this was the first time she was hearing this story, she could see where it was going.</p><p>“The whole warehouse exploded. It was only by luck that we weren’t killed in the explosion. Grant though, wasn’t as lucky.” Everyone in the room fell silent for a few minutes. Gar, Kory and Rachel weren’t really sure why they all seemed so sad about it as this Grant person since he was trying to kill him, but they didn’t rush them.</p><p>Then Donna continued, “After that, Slade swore revenge against us. He ended up attacking us, a lot. He became our number one enemy.”</p><p>“So you guys broke up the team thinking he’d leave you guys alone if you went your separate ways?” Gar wondered, trying to put the pieces together.</p><p>“No.” Dawn replied, “After a couple of months of dodging him and trying to catch him, he attacked us again and… he kidnapped Dick.”</p><p>The room fell so silent that they could’ve heard a pin drop. They never thought of something like that happening. Someone on their team getting kidnapped never really occurred to the two teenagers and alien, though it probably should have. After the family of crazies went after Rachel, they should’ve remembered that it could happen again. Maybe it was because this was Dick. Even though he was a human with no superpowers, he was their leader. He had always seemed so invincible to them.</p><p>“So, what happened after that?” Kory questioned, a little nervous at what the answer was going to be.</p><p>“Well, it took us almost, two months to find him.” Dawn told them. Before she could say anything else, Rachel blurted out, “Two months?”</p><p>“Yeah. Slade’s good at covering his tracks and he has a lot of safehouses.” Hank told them, his fists visibly clenched even though his arms were arms were crossed over his chest.</p><p>“And Batman couldn’t find him? He’s that good?” Gar asked.</p><p>“We kind of didn’t tell him.” Dawn admitted, looking down at the ground. Even after all these years, she still regretted that they didn’t get Bruce’s help. If they did, maybe everything that happened wouldn’t have had happened.</p><p>“What? Why not?” Gar asked.</p><p>“When we created the Titans, we wanted to be as independent as possible, especially Dick. Batman wasn’t really all that, supportive, of us going off on our own, despite our age and experience. When we first started, Dick insisted that we didn’t get Batman’s help, or anyone else’s help unless someone was dying or we had no other choice.” Donna explained.</p><p>“How did you know that Slade wasn’t going to kill him?” Kory wondered. After all, the man was an assassin and was trying to kill them. What made them think he was still alive? Why didn't Slade kill<br/>him in the first place?</p><p>Donna, Dawn and Hank exchanged looks again. These looks however weren’t like the ones before, the ones where they were clearly wondering what to say or deciding who should say it. These looks were pained and haunted. It gave Kory, Rachel and Gar all sick feelings in their stomachs and they were beginning to feel like they didn’t want to know.</p><p>Finally, Dawn said, “We just knew.”</p><p>Still wanting answers and sensing a need to change the topic from that particular detail, Kory asked, “What happened after that?”</p><p>“Well, we found where Slade and Dick were and went to go rescue him. It went wrong almost immediately. Kid Flash accidentally tripped an alarm so we lost the element of surprise, and we didn’t study the defenses of the place enough. We did get Dick out but, our teammate, our friend, Aqualad, was killed.” Hank very reluctantly revealed.</p><p>This was the first time they had ever heard about the other members of the Titans. Kory, not being from earth had never heard of the planet’s superheroes, so she had no idea who Kid Flash or Aqualad were. Rachel, growing up fairly sheltered and not really being a geek or obsessed with superheroes didn’t know them either. She only knew about the major, super popular heroes, like Superman and Batman. Gar on the other hand was a superhero fan boy and knew about the Titans, knew about the other members which were Red Arrow, Kid Flash and Aqualad, but all he knew was that Aqualad had just kind of disappeared. He didn’t know that he had died. He just figured that he went back to Atlantis or something.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” Kory said. She didn’t quite know why she said it, but from what she understood, that was what humans say to people who have lost someone they cared about and even though it had been years since it happened, they all looked to still be in such pain from it. She then immediately started to wonder how much this affected her boyfriend. Though at times he came off as such a cold, serious and detached person, she knew that he really wasn’t. He cared so deeply about people and loved those he considered to be his friends and family so hard. He also tended to blame himself for everything that went wrong, and the fact that a friend of his died while saving him had to have really messed with his head and his heart.</p><p>Hank and Dawn both nodded in acknowledgement of the alien’s words but Donna looked straight ahead, staring at nothing in particular, appearing to be completely lost in thought, even when Gar asked, “What happened after that?”</p><p>“We broke up the team after that. We were all messed up by what Slade did and Aqualad’s death, especially Dick. We just needed some time to heal. Actually Rachel, when you and Dick showed up at our apartment almost a year ago was the first time we had seen him since the Titans ended.” Dawn explained.</p><p>“And Deathstroke? He just stopped coming after you guys and you all didn’t try to hunt him down?” Gar wondered.</p><p>“We thought he was dead. The building he and Dick was rigged to explode. There hadn’t been any sign of him until now.” Dawn answered.</p><p>“But why would he wait until now to show up, if he has been alive this whole time.” Gar questioned. That wasn’t making much sense to him at all. Wouldn’t if have been easier for Deathstroke to kill them, which was what he wanted, if they were separated? He knew that Hawk and Dove were still active and he was pretty sure Robin was for a time. He didn’t know about Wonder Girl though.</p><p>“We have no clue.” Hank replied, sounding as confused as Gar was.</p><p>The room fell silent again as everyone processed everything, then Rachel asked, “So what do we do now?”</p><p>Donna sighed and broke her silence, “Dick is going to stay in Gotham, with Batman for now. He has better equipment and he’s a really good detective. They’re going to try and find Deathstroke.”</p><p>“What about us?” Kory interjected.</p><p>“For now, we aren’t going to go out, at all. Deathstroke doesn’t know our civilian identities so we should be safe.” Dawn responded.</p><p>“You want us to do nothing?” Rachel couldn’t believe what the blonde was saying. Did she seriously expect them to just sit back and do nothing when a villain who had gone after their friends, after Dick, was left loose?</p><p>“Just until we knew more. Slade is not someone to underestimate. It’s always better to be safe rather than sorry, especially him.” Donna told them with an authoritative tone. She then glared at them, daring them to challenge her. Kory, Rachel and Gar didn’t look happy about this at all, especially the latter two, but they eventually and reluctantly nodded and Rachel let out a grumbled, “Fine.”</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. First Day Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In case anyone was wondering about ages, Rachel is 14, Gar is 15, Jason is 18, Kory and Dick are both 25, Donna and Dawn are 26, Hank is 27, and Bruce I’ll say is around 38 in this story. Dick’s parents died when he was 10, and he officially became Robin about two months later. He started the Titans when he was 19 and the problem with Slade happened when he was 20 turning 21. I know that it’s not accurate to the show, but there’s a lot of things in this story that aren’t accurate to the show lol. Hope you guys like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Dick slowly woke up, he immediately noticed something was wrong. The mattress felt different and the sheets felt like they were made of satin instead of cotton. He opened his eyes and instead of finding himself in the room he shared with Kory, he saw that he was in his old bedroom at Wayne Manor. For a few seconds, he laid completely still, inwardly panicking as he tried to figure out what happened and why he was back here. Then the memories started coming back and he groaned as he dug his head further into his pillow.</p><p>Slade Wilson was still alive. He was still alive and he kidnapped him. Then Batman showed up and saved him. And then he had basically been ordered to stay in Gotham even though, if his memory was correct, Bruce was the one who told him to leave years ago. But he had agreed to stay to protect his team from Slade. Great, just great.</p><p>Suddenly, there was three quick knocks on his door. Knowing who it was due to the way the person knocked, Dick sat up and said, “Come in.”</p><p>“Good morning Master Dick.” Alfred said as he entered the door carrying a tray in his hands. Walking towards the bed, he added, “You slept through breakfast. I thought you must be hungry.”</p><p>Though his tone and words didn’t give him away, Dick knew that he had worried the English butler. The entire time he was growing up in the Wayne household, Alfred never let him sleep through breakfast, or any other meal, nor did he bring him food in bed unless he was injured or sick. While he may have a minor concussion and some bruised ribs, that was not serious enough to warrant breakfast in bed. So that meant Alfred was either really worried or just missed him enough to feel like spoiling him a little. Or it was a mixture of both.</p><p>Dick smiled at Alfred as the butler put the tray on the bedside table and was about to thank him when he glanced at the clock. It was almost 10:30. His shift at work started at 9. He immediately threw the blankets off and moved to stand up, but Alfred quickly put a hand on his shoulder, pushed him back down and asked, “Where do you think you’re going?”</p><p>“I have to call the station to let them know I won’t be in for a while.” Dick answered.</p><p>“Master Bruce already took care of that.” Alfred informed him.</p><p>“He did? What did he tell them?” Dick asked suspiciously. Bruce never approved of him becoming a police officer then a detective and though he somewhat doubted that he would do anything to sabotage his career, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibilities.</p><p>“Simply that an unexpected family emergency had come up and you were needed back in Gotham. Apparently, you have several vacation and sick days stocked up, so your Captain agreed without any fuss.” Alfred replied. Before Dick could respond, Alfred said, “Now eat your breakfast.”</p><p>“Okay. Thank you, Alfred.” Dick told him with a small smile, then grabbed the tray his surrogate grandfather had put on the bedside table and laid it across his lap. Seeing that breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes, one of his favourites, his smile grew.</p><p>As he ate his breakfast, Alfred busied himself by tidying up the room though it wasn’t needed. Despite the fact that he hadn’t been living in the Manor for years, Alfred must’ve been keeping it clean for him. A myriad of emotions ran through him at the thought of the butler keeping his room clean in the hopes that one day, he’d come back home. It was kind of depressing.</p><p>“I have checked and unfortunately besides a few expensive suits, there are no clothes here your size. I shall pick some up when I go into town later this afternoon.” Alfred informed him. The news didn’t really surprise Dick. When he moved out, he took all of his clothes except those suits he had to wear when he was forced to go to those functions and galas with Bruce. He wouldn’t need them after all. Right now, he was wearing an old pair of sweats and a T-shirt that belonged to Bruce that were a little too big for him. But it was better than wearing his Nightwing suit.</p><p>“Thanks.” Dick said before asking, “Bruce is at work, right?”</p><p>“Yes, and Master Jason is at school.” Alfred responded.</p><p>“Perfect.” Dick replied. He was definitely not in the mood to deal with Bruce and his controlling, I-know-better-than-everyone attitude or Jason and his carefree, I’m-so-awesome attitude. With them gone, he should be able to get some work done on finding Slade. The sooner he found him, the sooner he could go home.</p><p>Alfred raised his eyebrow at him when he heard that, silently reprimanding him. However, he didn’t actually say anything. He was fully aware of the issues Dick and Bruce had and why the younger man wouldn’t want the billionaire around at the moment. Despite staying quiet, Dick saw the look and knew what it meant. He turned his gaze down to his plate with a sheepish expression on his face.</p><p>“Finish your breakfast Master Dick.” Alfred told him and Dick immediately did so. No one ever disobeys Alfred after all.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>Dick sat in front of the computer in the Batcave, going through every file he and Bruce had on Slade Wilson. After five years of thinking he was dead though, there wasn’t any new information. It was all old and outdated, but he still had to go through it. There was still a chance that the mercenary might have used one of his old aliases or old safehouses at some point. Unfortunately, there was no sign that he did. All Dick found was a bunch of dead ends which meant that Slade completely started over from scratch, or he had more aliases and safehouses than they had on file. Both were a very good possibility.</p><p>“Is it really a good idea to be in front of a computer screen if you have a concussion?” Dick was barely able to keep from flinching when he heard the sudden voice. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Jason coming down the stairs towards him.</p><p>“It’s not that serious. And Alfred knows I’m down here.” Dick responded, turning his attention back to the screen.</p><p>For a minute, the place became silent with the exception of the keys on the keyboard being tapped. Dick hoped that it meant Jason had left or was at least going to mind his own business but he was soon disappointed when he noticed the new Robin standing beside him on his right. As he leaned against Dick’s chair, he asked, “What are you doing?”</p><p>“Going through old files on Deathstroke. Thought there might be something useful that can help me track him down now.” Dick answered honestly, assuming that Jason was already aware of the situation.</p><p>“Was there?” Jason wondered, actually sounding interested.</p><p>“Nope. Going to have to start the search all over.” Dick told him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Jason nod but he didn’t say anything. He just watched quietly. Dick tried to take advantage of the silence, however it only lasted about 25 seconds before Jason asked another question.</p><p>“So what’s the deal with Deathstroke anyways? Why is he after you?”</p><p>“He’s just an old Titans’ enemy. And it’s none of your business.” Dick replied, a bit more harshly so Jason would get the hint to drop the subject.</p><p>“Since you’re living in the Manor again, it is my business.” Jason said, either not getting the hint at all or just decided that he didn’t care.</p><p>“I’m not ‘living’ here. I’m just staying here, like I would be at a hotel or something. It’s just temporary. And that doesn’t automatically make it your business.” Dick retorted, trying his best not to lose his patience.</p><p>“Maybe it should be. I could easily take down that guy.” Jason told him as he walked away.</p><p>“Like you did those cops?” Dick wondered with a somewhat bitter tone. He knew he probably shouldn’t have brought up what happened when he met Jason and had to rescue Clay from Zucco’s son as it would just start a fight, but the kid had a way of getting under his skin.</p><p>He heard the teenager suddenly stop in his tracks, then say, “Yeah. Thanks for ratting me out about that, by the way.”</p><p>Extremely confused by Jason’s words and angry voice, Dick spun the chair around so he could see his face. Then he asked, “What are you talking about?”</p><p>“You told Bruce what I did and got me benched for a whole month.” Jason answered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. At first, he still sounded furious and annoyed like he did only seconds earlier, but it died down when he saw the confusion on Dick’s face.</p><p>“No I didn’t.” The older vigilante told him. The younger vigilante dropped his defensive and angry stance as a confused expression came onto his face as well.</p><p>“But if you didn’t tell him, then-”</p><p>“How did I know?” Another voice joined the conversation, finishing Jason’s sentence. Both boys looked over to see Bruce, still dressed in his suit, coming down the last couple of steps on the staircase.</p><p>As he walked over to them, he said, “I simply checked the police reports. I wanted to make sure that you caught the man responsible for those murders and were able to save… Clay, right?” Seeing Dick nod in confirmation, Bruce continued, “While I was glad to see that you were successful, I was quite disappointed when several reports stated that one of the two Robins attacked the police officers.”</p><p>“How did you know it wasn’t Dick?” Jason wondered.</p><p>“Because Dick would never have attacked police officers without a very good reason, and there was no reason.” Bruce answered. Still not happy about the situation, Jason turned his gaze away from the billionaire but kept his mouth shut. He knew that arguing it anymore would only end with him getting into more trouble.</p><p>Deciding that this part of the conversation was over, Bruce looked over at Dick and asked, “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“I’m fine.” Dick replied shortly. His former guardian didn’t seem like he believed him but he knew better than to confront him on that right now. Instead, he said, “Alfred is also home. He said he has some stuff for you.”</p><p>Dick nodded in acknowledgement, saved and closed all of his work on the computer, then headed up the stairs, not saying a word. He would never admit it to Bruce or Jason, but his head was pounding from staring at the computer screen for so long. He needed a break. He also needed to get away from Bruce. Being around him for long periods of time was a recipe for a fight and he really wanted to avoid that. As long as they kept their distance, his time in Gotham shouldn’t be too bad.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>After talking with Alfred and making sure that the clothes he had gotten for him were indeed the right size, Dick sat on the window seat in his room, staring out at the grounds of the Manor. His headache was starting to go away thanks to the painkillers Alfred insisted he took, but only barely. He was beginning to wonder if he should lay down until supper, but he didn’t really feel like it. Honestly, the only thing he wanted was to be back with his friends, with the kids that have basically become his and with Kory. He couldn’t do that, but he could do something else.</p><p>Dick got up and walked over to his bed. Grabbing the burner phone off the bedside table, he dialed a number that he knew off by heart, then held it to his ear and listened to it ring.</p><p>After about five seconds, the ringing stopped and a woman asked, <em>“Who’s this?”</em></p><p>“It’s me Kory.” Dick answered, smiling at the sound of her voice.</p><p><em>“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t recognize the phone number.”</em> Kory apologized for her harsh tone.</p><p>“It’s okay. I do the same thing when someone I don’t know calls me.” Dick told her, making his way back to the window.</p><p><em>“How are you doing?”</em> Kory wondered.</p><p>Sitting back down on the window seat, Dick said, “I’m alright. I just wish that I was with you and the others.”</p><p><em>“I wish you were here too. So does everyone else, especially Rachel and Gar.”</em> Kory told him. She paused for a minute, then, with a more serious tone, she said, <em>“Hank, Dawn and Donna told us what happened with Slade.”</em></p><p>“How much?” Dick immediately questioned, suddenly feeling scared. He knew that Kory, Gar and Rachel would want to know what was going on, knew that they would want to know who Deathstroke was and why he kidnapped him. And he knew that the other three original members of the team would have to give them some kind of answer, but he didn’t really think about that until now.</p><p><em>“That he blames you guys for his son’s death, and that he kidnapped you for two months, and that when they rescued you, your teammate Aqualad died.”</em> Kory answered.</p><p>“That’s it?” Dick asked.</p><p><em>“That’s it.”</em> Kory replied.</p><p>Dick let out a sigh of relief at that. Then he heard Kory ask, <em>“I take it that means you won’t be filling in the blanks anytime soon?”</em></p><p><em>“Don’t worry. If you don’t want to talk about it, I’m not going to make you.”</em> Kory quickly added before Dick could think of an answer.</p><p>“Thanks.” He responded with a grateful tone.</p><p>
  <em>“Are you doing okay?”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. I just with this whole thing wasn’t happening.” He told her. Desperately wanting to change the topic, he asked, “How are the kids?”</p><p><em>“Frustrated that we aren’t going on patrol anymore, but they seem to understand why, so I don’t think they’re going to do anything stupid.”</em> Kory said, causing Dick to smile.</p><p>“Here’s hoping.” Dick responded.</p><p>There was a short pause on Kory’s end and he was about to ask if she was still there, but then she said, <em>“I think they’re in the other room. Do you want to talk to them?”</em></p><p>“Yeah sure.” Dick answered.</p><p><em>“Okay, hold on.”</em> Kory told him. The next minute or two passed in silence as he assumed his girlfriend was searching for Rachel and Gar. Then he heard their voice excitedly shout out his name. The fact that he could clearly hear both of them told him he was on speaker phone again.</p><p>“Hey guys. How’s it going?”</p><p>For the next half hour or so, Dick sat listening as Gar and Rachel talked. He again reassured them that he was okay as they were still worried about him. They then complained about how they weren’t going on patrol until Deathstroke was found. They quickly dropped it though once they learned that it was actually Dick’s idea that they stayed away from doing any hero stuff. He then asked about school and trivial things like that to keep them talking. It made him feel like he was actually with them in person.</p><p>The conversation was interrupted by a knock. Dick turned his head to the door just in time to see it open. Alfred was on the other side and when his eyes locked onto Dick, he said, “Supper is served Master Dick.”</p><p>“I’ll be right down.” He told the butler, who nodded, then headed back down the hall.</p><p><em>“Down where?”</em> Gar asked, apparently hearing what the police detective had said.</p><p>“Down for supper. I have to go.” Dick answered.</p><p><em>“Will you call us tomorrow?”</em> Rachel asked.</p><p>“I’ll do my best. You two be good and listen to Kory, Donna, Dawn and Hank, alright?” Dick gently ordered.</p><p><em>“We will.”</em> Rachel replied.</p><p>“Good. I’ll talk to you guys soon. Bye.” Dick responded. He waited until he heard them say ‘goodbye’, then hung up and headed downstairs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Two Clues and a Mistakes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gar and Rachel walked down the busy street towards the nearest grocery store. It had been four days since they were told about Deathstroke and his past with the Titans and that they were no longer going on patrol. While upset about it, the teenagers enjoyed getting a full night’s sleep. Then the second night came and they realized how much they missed going out. Soon, they were going stir-crazy.</p><p>Since they did their best to stay invisible at school, neither Gar or Rachel really had any friends that they hung out with. They didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. They had actually discussed just doing everything online but the adults agreed that they should do something normal for kids their age. And Gar hadn’t been to a regular school in years and wanted to go, so they did. Now, after spending four days either at school or at home, they felt like they were going to lose their minds. They were so desperate to get out of the apartment that they volunteered to go get the groceries.</p><p>“How long do you think it will take for them to catch Slade?” Rachel wondered, not saying ‘Deathstroke’ so no one around might get suspicious.</p><p>“Probably not that long. Maybe a week or so.” Gar answered as they came to an empty street.</p><p>“Really? It took them months last time, and they didn’t technically catch him.” Rachel pointed out.</p><p>“But now they have the best detective in the world helping them. It won’t take long. Then life will go back to normal.” Gar assured her with an excited tone. Before Rachel could respond, their attention was drawn to a nearby alley.</p><p>Inside, there were three people. They looked like men, but that was all they could make out from the distance. Two of the men were huddled close together, then Rachel and Gar realized that one was actually holding him steady while the third man was beating the crap out of him. Rachel looked around, wondering if there was someone around who could help as they were not supposed to get involved, but there was no one. So she turned back to the green-haired teenager and saw the look on his face.</p><p>“Gar, no.” She told him, but he only smirked, threw off his jacket and ran into the alley, changing into a tiger as he went.</p><p>Rachel darted to the side so she wouldn’t be seen. One of the many benefits to Gar’s powers was that when he changed into an animal, he no longer had a human face so no one could recognize him. She, and the others, didn’t have that luxury. And since she left the hoodie that she wore which covered her face, she had to get out of the way. Staying out of sight was her only option. So she stood there waiting, hoping nothing bad would happen to Gar.</p><p>Only seconds later, she heard Gar roar and the men scream. The two men who were attacking the third came running out as though they were being chased, which they weren’t. They were going so fast they didn’t even see her. About a minute later, Gar appeared back in his human form. Luckily, he had been wearing his uniform under his clothes so he wasn’t naked like he otherwise about be. As Rachel handed him his coat, she asked, “Is that guy okay?”</p><p>“Yeah I think so. Probably just a black eye, broken nose and a lot of bruises.” Gar answered as he put his jacket back on.</p><p>“You know, if Kory or Donna find out about this, they’re going to kill you.” Rachel told him while she started walking towards their destination.</p><p>“Me? You mean us.” Gar corrected, following right at her heels.</p><p>“Nope. You were the one who used his powers and interfered. I was just an innocent bystander.” Rachel pointed out.</p><p>Gar suddenly paled, then said, “You’re not going to tell, are you?”</p><p>“I don’t know. That all depends.” Rachel told him with a smirk as she continued walking, keeping her head straight.</p><p>“Depends on what?” Gar asked, trying to get in front of her so he could see her face.</p><p>“Oh I don’t know.” The raven-haired girl replied, then started chuckling as Gar started offering to do all her chores, to let her watch whatever she wanted on the TV without complaining and more if she promised not to tell on him.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>Up above, on the roof of the building that made up part of the alley the teenagers just left, stood a man dressed in black and orange. Deathstroke.</p><p>He hadn’t been following them, hadn’t expected to come across them at all. He had been looking for one of his targets ever since he came back to San Francisco. If he stayed in Jump City, Batman probably would’ve found him and he had no intention of being found by the Dark Knight. He quickly found his target, with a lackey, who helped him start beating up a man because he wouldn’t give them his wallet. Despite it being such a petty crime, that man was the second in command of one of the biggest gangs in the city and Deathstroke’s employer wanted him dead. He had been preparing to take his shot when a green tiger suddenly showed up and chased him and his lackey away.</p><p>Deathstroke immediately recognized the green tiger. He was a part of Grayson’s new team of Titans. He had seen him a few times over the last several weeks as he stalked their leader. Knowing he could easily track down his target later and curious about the person who interfered, he turned his attention on the tiger. Silently, he watched as it turned into a teenage boy and met up with a teenage girl who was waiting for him outside of the alley.</p><p>Due to his enhanced hearing, he was able to find out that the girl’s name was Rachel, and that there were people named Donna and Kory who had apparently told them not to use their powers. They were probably other members of the Titans. Though they didn’t say any last names, it shouldn’t be that hard to track them down. After all, he knew their leader’s real name. All he had to due was dig through Richard’s official records and maybe some media and gossip sites. He was the son of the country’s richest man which did make him at least a minor celebrity, they would probably have some stuff on him. From that, he’d easily be able to figure out who those people are.</p><p>Honestly, he could’ve done that a while ago, but he didn’t want to bring the other Titans’ into it just yet. And it took a little bit of the fun out of the whole thing. Now though, he’d have to if he wanted to drag Richard out of hiding. If there was one thing he knew about people, especially about the former Robin, it was that they’d do almost anything to keep the people they cared about safe.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>“How’s the search going?” Dick turned his head from the computer screen to the stairs of the Batcave, finding Bruce coming towards him.</p><p>“Slow.” Dick answered, then looked at the clock and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to still be at work?”</p><p>“I’m capable of delegating when I need to, as you well know.” Bruce replied, coming to stand by Dick.</p><p>He was silent for a minute, staring at the screen and reading everything that was on it. Then he said, “You should take a break. You’ve been down here constantly the last several days.”</p><p>“Not like I have anything better to do.” The younger man told him.</p><p>Bruce didn’t really have anything to say to that. Due to his injuries and the fact he was being hunted, Dick really didn’t have anything else to do. Searching for Deathstroke made complete sense. The sooner that he was found, the sooner he could be caught and Dick could go back to San Francisco. It was something Bruce would do actually. Dick probably picked up that habit from him.</p><p>“It will probably with faster with two.” Bruce said, taking another step closer. He knew he had to tread carefully. He had no doubt that Dick was still annoyed that he made him agree to stay in Gotham, even if it was the right decision. He didn’t want to do anything to anger the young man more than he already had.</p><p>Dick stared at him long and hard for a minute, then nodded. Bruce grabbed a chair that was sitting off to the side and dragged it over. Sitting down, he asked, “So, what have you found?”</p><p>The former protégé quickly filled him in on what he had all learned about Slade Wilson. That he wasn’t using his old aliases or safehouses, but he had been hired by someone in San Francisco to take out members of the gangs there, though he didn’t know who the employer was yet. Now he was trying to figure out who had hired him as whoever it was had to have a way of contacting him. While he was doing that, he was also looking into any assassinations that had happened over the last five years that matched Slade’s MO. Dick knew it was probably a shot in the dark, but if could figure out where Slade was, he might be able to find some of his new aliases or something.</p><p>Bruce didn’t seem to think any of it was a waste of time, which only slightly surprised Dick. The Dark Knight had done a lot of strange things that didn’t make sense or seemed like a waste of time in pursuit of a lead in a case, but Bruce was always quick to judge and criticize everyone’s actions except his own. He didn’t though. He actually volunteered to take over the search for Slade’s newest employer so Dick could focus on finding out what the assassin was doing over the last five years. A part of him wanted to tell Bruce that he had it all under control, but he knew he needed the help. Plus, a pair of fresh eyes would be useful. So he agreed.</p><p>For the next couple of hours, the two detectives worked in silence. It actually reminded Dick of the old days, back when he was Robin and was still Batman’s partner. Even with the unspoken tension between them, it was still familiar. It didn’t use to be that way, not for the longest time. When he was around 16 years old, Bruce changed. He became extremely critical over everything he did and seemed to look for an excuse to be mad at him. It was as though a flip had been switched inside of him that made him decide Dick wasn’t trustworthy, and Dick was old enough and stubborn enough to push back. They fought so much back then. The most peaceful days during that time were spent like this, working in complete, tension-filled silence.</p><p>During the hours that past, Bruce kept glancing up every now and then at Dick. He didn’t say anything but he was sure that Dick knew it. The billionaire wondered if Dick felt how familiar the situation was like he did, before he messed everything up that is. He also wondered if Dick missed it as much as he did. He wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t though. Their relationship was a mess and there was no one Bruce could blame but himself.</p><p>“How’s the head?” Bruce broke the silence when he noticed him rubbing his temples with his hand.</p><p>“It’s fine.” Dick instinctively replied as he dropped his hand from his head.</p><p>“You sure? Because there are some pain killers down here.” Bruce reminded him with a gentle tone, not wanting to make Dick feel defensive of anything. He knew he failed though when Dick said, “I don’t need it. I’m fine.”</p><p>Bruce let the matter drop and turned his attention back to the screen he was working at. Only a minute later however, Dick asked, “If I asked you something, would you be honest with me?”</p><p>The Dark Knight stared at him, then nodded.</p><p>“You said you had looked into what happened that night with Clay and Zucco’s son. Was that the only time you looked in on me?” It was a bit of a stupid question, Dick knew that, but there were times over the last year and a half where he felt Bruce’s presence, or felt that he got involved in order to make something happen and he wanted to know if that was true or not.</p><p>“No, it wasn’t.” Bruce quietly admitted, lowering his head.</p><p>“How many times?” Dick then asked.</p><p>“Probably more often than you’d like.” Bruce answered without giving the full truth. After he learned that Dick had left the Manor and figured out where he went, he checked on him at least once a week in some way. Only four times did he go see him in person, not counting when he was in the hospital after being shot a few months ago.</p><p>“Why?” The question took Bruce by surprise. Did his son seriously think that he didn’t care about him, or was he talking about something else?</p><p>“I, I wanted to make sure you were doing alright.” Bruce replied.</p><p>Dick didn’t really look like he believed him but he didn’t say anything. The billionaire wasn’t sure if he was grateful for that or not. He wanted to make sure that Dick was aware that despite everything that happened between them that he still cared about him, but he also didn’t want to start a fight, which he probably would end up doing because he was terrible at expressing himself. So the silence overcame them again. Until of course, Bruce noticed something in the files of the criminals that Deathstroke apparently killed that Dick had given him to look over.</p><p>Dick turned back to Bruce, intending to ask him if he had found anything yet as he wasn’t getting anywhere on his end, but paused when he saw a strange look on his face.</p><p>“What is it?” Dick questioned. Bruce looked up at him and said, “I think I found something.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Past Regrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>What Bruce found was that the people who had been assassinated were only the second and third in command of the gangs. Dick had already known that of course but what he hadn’t put together was the people who took their place had one person in common was David McClaren. He was a low-level drug dealer that recently ended up on San Francisco so Dick didn’t have much on him. Bruce however recognized the name as member of a gang that he had shut down as Batman only a few months ago. Most of the members had been arrested but some had managed to get off scot-free. McClaren was one of those people, along with his two half-brothers and a cousin.</p><p>As soon as they realized that, the rest of the pieces fell into place. McClaren had his relatives join different gangs and earn their trust. Then he hired Deathstroke to kill members of those gangs so that they could rise through the ranks faster. The end goal was undoubtably to get control of those gangs but the two detectives didn’t care much about that at the moment. Right now, their priority was to find Slade and McClaren could help them with that. It was then that Dick realized that Bruce still wanted him to in Gotham while he and Jason went to San Francisco.</p><p>“Bruce, you can’t be serious.” Dick said as he followed the man down into the Batcave.</p><p>“Am I ever not?” Bruce wondered, keeping his head and eyes forward.</p><p>Dick didn’t have an answer for that, so he ignored Bruce’s response and said, “You can’t seriously expect me to stay behind while you and Jason go after Slade.”</p><p>“I can and I do.” Bruce told him as he reached the large case where his Batman suit was.</p><p>“Slade’s coming after me Bruce. It was also my friend that he killed. I should be there to take him down. Me, and Donna, Dawn and Hank.” Dick argued.</p><p>“You’re right.” Those words surprised Dick enough into silence which Bruce quickly took advantage of.</p><p>“Slade is after you, which means you need to stay here where it’s safe.”</p><p>“He’s my problem Bruce.”</p><p>“Don’t you remember what happened last time Slade went after you?” Bruce asked and Dick felt like he was going to explode.</p><p>“Of course I do!” Dick shouted.</p><p>“So do I, and I am not willing to risk it happening again. You will stay here.” The billionaire ordered.</p><p>Dick stared at him silently for a few minutes. Though some of his memories from those days when he was Slade’s prisoner and when he was rescued and recovering were fuzzy due to the massive concussion he had at the time, most were as clear as day. He remembered the h*ll Slade had put him though, how badly he was tortured, everything he had to do in order to survive. He remembered after he was rescued how Bruce and Alfred hovered over him as he healed. How despite how worried his adoptive father was, did his best to be emotionally distant, stuck in the middle of being overprotective of him and pushing him away. And because of his injuries, there wasn’t really anything he could do about it.</p><p>Bruce pulled him out of his reverie when he added, “And if you try to leave the Manor, Alfred will use his tranquilizer gun.”</p><p>With a snap of his neck, Dick looked behind him and saw Alfred standing at the foot of the stairs watching them. Though the butler didn’t say anything, the look on his face confirmed that his boss was telling the truth and Dick didn’t doubt it. He knew from experience that if Alfred didn’t want you to go out and fight crime whether it be because you were injured, exhausted or simply ordered to stay put, he would use any means necessary to make you stay. There had been several times Alfred slipped him and Bruce something in order to make sure they rested, if of course the threat didn’t work which rarely happened. Not in the mood to be drugged, Dick backed down but didn’t hide his displeasure at all.</p><p>Seeing the look on his son’s face, Bruce said, “We’re only going to McClaren for answers Dick. We aren’t going after Slade just yet. So, just stay here. I’ll let you know what we find.”</p><p>Reluctantly, Dick nodded. Bruce then pulled his suit out of its case and went to go change. Once he had done that, he headed over to the Batplane. Normally he would take the Batmobile when he went on patrol, but he was leaving the city and needed speed. The Batplane was the only vehicle that could get him to San Francisco in time.</p><p>Jason was already sitting in the passenger seat waiting for him. As Bruce sat down and got the plane ready for take off, the new Robin asked, “Do you think he’ll actually stay?”</p><p>“Yes.” Bruce answered. Jason shot him a disbelieving look though which caused the Dark Knight to reveal, “And to be on the safe side, I asked someone to come over and help Alfred make sure he stays put.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>Dick stayed in the Cave even though there wasn’t really anything much to do. He continued searching for anything that would tell him what Slade was up to during the last five years but he was struggling to focus on anything. His kept going to Bruce and Slade. He wondered where Bruce was at the moment, if he’d be able to find McClaren, if McClaren would actually give up any information. He also wondered where Slade was, if he knew that he was back in Gotham, what he was planning. He couldn’t possibly be planning to repeat what he tried to do five years ago, right? Slade’s plan back then had been insane and it would be even more insane if he tried again, especially with Batman involved.</p><p>Turning around in his chair, Dick’s gaze drifted to the small infirmary section of the Cave. There had been several times either he or Bruce or both had ended up there. As most of their injuries were because of their vigilante work, going to the hospital was out of the question. As Dick stared at it, the memory of waking up after being rescued from Slade years ago washed over him.</p><p>
  <em>The beeping wouldn’t stop. It had been interrupting his peaceful sleep on and off a couple of times but now, it just kept going. He had no idea exactly what it was but he wanted it to stop. It was making the pounding in his head change from the dull ache to feeling like someone hitting his skull with a hammer. Since no one was either around to or cared to turned the beeping thing off, he was going to have to do it himself. Once he opened his eyes however, he froze.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He wasn’t in his room at the Tower. He was in the Batcave’s infirmary, surrounded by medical equipment. Now, Dick was aware of the slight pain in the back of his hand, undoubtedly caused by an IV. Right after that was the feeling of something snaked across his face, under his nose and around his ears. Nasal cannula. The realization that the beeping noise was a heart monitor soon followed but Dick pushed that all to the side to focus on a more serious question. What was going on?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Dick?” Turning his head to the side, Dick saw Bruce sitting in a chair beside him, staring at him worriedly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Bruce, what happened?” Dick was barely able to ask, his voice no more than a croak. His adoptive father immediately held out a cup of water and helped him take a few sips before he put it off to the side.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What do you remember?” Bruce gently inquired, avoiding the question. It only took a minute of concentrating for Dick’s memory to return and when it did, he wondered how he could’ve forgotten. Being abducted by Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, being his prisoner for the last several weeks, his team rescuing him, Garth being shot at least three times before he fell.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Garth?” Dick asked, unable to ask specifically if his friend was dead or not and Bruce didn’t need him to. He didn’t need Bruce to answer. He could see it in his face. Garth was dead.</em>
</p><p>“Master Dick? Is everything alright?” Alfred’s voice pulled Dick back to reality.<br/>Blinking over at him, Dick said, “Yeah, yeah I’m fine, just lost in thought. I think I’m going to head upstairs.” Dick told him as he stood up, “You’ll let me know if you hear anything?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Thanks Alfred.” Dick responded, then headed up the stairs to the Manor above.</p><p>Dick had no idea what to do when he got up to the house, but he suddenly found himself in the gym. There was another gym in the Batcave, but that was one was specifically designed to train for combat while the one in the house was a normal one. Well, as normal as a private gym in someone’s mansion could be. The exception was the trapeze bars and rings at the back of the room. Bruce added those specially for him when he moved in. Both Bruce and Alfred thought it would be better and safer for him to use and practice on instead of swinging on tree branches and the chandeliers. Seeing them there for the first time was the first time Dick truly started to feel at home in the Manor and even now the memory brought a smile to his face. As many issues he and Bruce had, life as his ward and later adopted son wasn’t all bad. There were good moments too.</p><p>“You better not be thinking of actually getting on those bars with a concussion Boy Wonder.”</p><p>Dick spun around to see who had snuck up on him. Though he did have a concussion, it was still pretty rare for someone to sneak up on him. When he saw who it was, he felt his heart jolt in his chest. Red hair pulled back into a ponytail, loose strands framing her face as blue eyes stared at him through a pair of black-rimmed glasses.</p><p>“Barbara.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>In a small apartment in San Francisco, all the curtains and blinds were drawn. Slade Wilson sat at the kitchen table cleaning his rifle, handgun, sword and dagger. He was going to need them. In just a few hours, he’d be able to launch the next phase of his plan, and the Titans will never see it coming.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alfred has a tranquilizer gun and has used it and nothing will convince me otherwise. Hope you all liked this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Following the Lead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Batman and Robin stood on the roof of an old, abandoned hotel staring at a rundown apartment building where David McClaren was apparently living. It was on the outskirts of the city, far from any kind of attention. There were people around, most likely criminals or homeless people, but they were the type that didn’t ask questioned and wouldn’t call the police. For them, police were nothing but trouble. It was the perfect place for criminals to hide out. It also had the added benefit of making it close to a spot where Batman would land the Batplane out of sight.</p><p>“How much longer do we have to wait?” Robin asked. They’d only been watching for about 20 minutes but he was already getting impatient. He was ready to kick some a**.</p><p>“Until we’re sure he’s alone.” Batman answered, keeping his attention on the window of McClaren’s apartment. He was fairly sure that he was alone, but he had to make sure. There was always a chance that Deathstroke or one of McClaren’s lackeys were there. Robin groaned, but didn’t argue.<br/>After another five minutes, something changed. McClaren pushed the curtains away and opened the window. With the special lenses in his mask, Batman got a much more decent look into the place. He appeared to be completely alone. So he looked over at Robin and gave him the nod, silently telling him it was go time.</p><p>The two quickly and silently made their way over to the building. Batman, using his grapple gun, hung above the window while Robin slipped in first. As he was smaller, he would get in faster which was more important in keeping the element of surprise. Batman went in right after him, but by the time he got inside, Robin had McClaren on his stomach on the floor with an arm twisted behind him, held tightly by Robin who also had a knee digging into the man’s back.</p><p>“Tell me about Deathstroke.” Batman told him as he crossed the room towards the criminal.</p><p>“Batman? What are you doing here?” McClaren asked, his voice a little muffled as his face was pressed down in the carpet.</p><p>“I want to know about Deathstroke.” Batman answered, not in the mood to beat around the bush.</p><p>“Who?” McClaren wondered.</p><p>“The man you hired to kill those gang members so your brothers and cousin could take their place.” Robin answered, trying to resist the urge to dig his knee further into McClaren’s back.</p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” McClaren said, actually grinning as he did so. In response, Batman kicked the man in the stomach, causing him to grunt in pain.</p><p>“I’m not in the mood for games. Tell me where to find Deathstroke.” The Dark Knight ordered. His partner could feel McClaren shaking under him in fear but he refused to answer.<br/>Batman kicked him again before he crouched down and said, “I don’t care right now what you’ve done or what you’re planning. Just tell me where I can find Deathstroke.”</p><p>“I don’t know. He finished the contract that we had already. Earlier than I thought he would. He said it was because he had more pressing matters to deal with. Personal ones from the sound of it.” McClaren reluctantly revealed.</p><p>“When was the last time you saw him?” Batman questioned.</p><p>“Yesterday, under the Golden Gate Bridge, to get the final payment.” He answered.</p><p>“Do you know where he is? Or how to contact him?”</p><p>McClaren struggled to shake his head as he replied, “No. I put out the word about needing someone who specialized in getting rid of people and he found me, and I gave him the down payment. I gave him my number, which he only used once. To tell me it was done and arrange a meet so he could get the rest of the money. I tried to contact him again, but the number was disconnected. That’s all I know.”</p><p>Batman clenched his jaw in frustration. He had expected that kind of answer. Slade was extremely skilled at covering his tracks in order to stay hidden. If he was sloppy enough to let someone know where he was staying or leave them a way to contact him, then Batman would be suspicious of a trap. Still, he had been hoping that McClaren would have more information. He was their only lead and now they had nothing.</p><p>Without giving any kind of warning, Batman punched McClaren in the head, knocking the man out cold. He then looked up at Robin and said, “Let’s go.”<br/>Robin was surprised at his mentor’s actions, but kept his mouth shut. He released the hold he had on McClaren, then followed Batman out the window and back to the abandoned hotel where they had been standing only minutes earlier. Robin thought that they were going to head to the Batplane and back to Gotham, but once they were on the roof, Batman stayed still. He didn’t move at all. He just stared absently off in the distance and Robin didn’t know why. They had come to question McClaren and they did. Since he didn’t have answers though, there wasn’t anything left to do, so why were they staying?</p><p>“What’s going on?” Robin asked when Batman stayed silent.</p><p>“Personal business.” Batman mumbled to himself, not answering Robin’s question, which frustrated him. Realizing that he was thinking something over and wouldn’t pay him any attention until he figured it out, Robin sat on the ledge and waited.<br/>Suddenly, Batman straightened up, an even more serious expression on his face than before. He looked over at the teenager and said, “Let’s go.”</p><p>“Go where?” Robin shouted back as he rushed to follow Batman who had already jumped from the roof and was swinging into the city.</p><p>“To find Deathstroke.” Batman shouted back. The bird had no idea what the bat had figured out where the assassin was or if he was right, but he obediently followed.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>They ended up somewhere on a skyscraper near the bay and though Robin didn’t know where exactly they were now, he knew it was the right place when he saw the black and orange armour clad figure of Deathstroke fighting someone though a broken window of an apartment near the top of the building in front of them. Both he and Batman immediately swung through the shattered, into the apartment and joined the fight. Once inside though, Robin saw Rachel and Gar lying unconscious on the floor, Kory leaning over them protectively. Over to the side, he saw another three people that he didn’t recognize, two women and a man, fighting Deathstroke. Thinking that now that they had Batman’s help, they had everything under control, he went over to Kory and the two younger teens.</p><p>“Jason?” Kory questioned, clearly not sure if she was right. She had met him only once, though he wasn’t dressed as Robin at the time, but he did apparently have one and said he was the new Robin.</p><p>“Names beautiful.” Robin chastised with a grin. Before she could even think of a response, he asked, “Are they okay?”</p><p>“I think so. They were too close to a concussion grenade, but they’re both breathing and their pulses are steady.” Kory answered, turning her attention back to Rachel and Gar. Robin did his own check, just to be on the safe side, but when he saw that they were indeed okay, He looked back over to where the adults were fighting.</p><p>Honestly, he was a little surprised that Deathstroke was able to fight three, well-trained people by the looks of it, at once even though Robin was fully aware that the assassin was a meta-human. He had thought that with Batman’s help, they would’ve taken Slade down easily. However, Deathstroke was holding his own, but he must’ve realized that he wouldn’t last for long because he grabbed something from his belt and threw it on the ground. Immediately the room was filled with smoke. When it cleared, Deathstroke was gone.</p><p>“Coward.” Batman hissed.</p><p>This was the second time that Slade Wilson had run from him. He didn’t really hold it against him the first time as he caught him completely surprise at his own hide-out. This time, he was on the attack, prepared for a fight. Though he knew that for some people, simply his presence as Batman struck fear in them and made them run, but he didn’t think Deathstroke would be one of those people. Maybe he was just being wary as they had never actually fought before. One thing he had learned early on in his vigilante career was to know your enemy, that way you could easily defeat them. Whether that was the reason or not, Batman thought it was pathetic that he turned tail and ran like he did.</p><p>“What are you doing here Batman?” Robin heard the tall blonde male ask.</p><p>“Following up on a lead.” Batman answered.</p><p>“I thought Dick said you two were going to tell us if you found anything.” The brunette female said as she crossed her arms, not even trying to hide her anger from him.</p><p>“We weren’t sure if it was going to prove useful or not.” Batman told her, apparently not caring that he had somehow upset them.</p><p>“Ugh, what happened?” Everyone looked over at Gar, who was pushing himself up in a sitting position. Beside him, Rachel did the same thing.</p><p>“Deathstroke attacked you guys, we showed up and save the day.” Robin replied with a cocky grin. Rachel and Gar stared at him, then looked over at the others.</p><p>Gar gently nudged Rachel with his elbow as he stage-whispered, “That’s Batman.”</p><p>“I can see that.” Rachel responded in an amused tone though she looked almost just as awed as Gar did. That expression changed to confusion though when she asked, “Where’s Deathstroke?”</p><p>“Gone. He fled not long after we arrived.” Batman informed her. Before she could really process that, Batman added, “You’re all going to have to come with me.”</p><p>“What?” The blonde man who’s name Robin still didn’t know, questioned.</p><p>“Deathstroke knows about this place, which means he most likely knows all of your identities. At the very least, he’ll figure it out soon. You aren’t safe here.” Batman explained.</p><p>“Will we be going where Dick is?” Rachel wondered, which had Robin snapping his head over to stare at Batman, waiting for his response. While nothing about this night had gone how he expected it to, he never considered Bruce bringing a group of people back to Wayne Manor.</p><p>Batman though, nodded and said, “Yes. Pack what you need. You have 10 minutes, then we need to go.”</p><p>It looked like the three adults that Robin didn’t know wanted to argue, but they must’ve known that they wouldn’t win because they angrily went to their rooms. Or at least, that’s where Robin assumed they were going. He and Kory helped Rachel and Gar to their feet, then they also went to their rooms. 10 minutes later, all six of them had come back out with bags slung over their shoulders, ready to go. Without another word, Batman and Robin led them back to the Batplane so they could get back to Gotham.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Old and New Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, just a heads up, Barbara and Dick’s relationship won’t be fully accurate to how it was in the comics. Most (important) things will be the same, but other parts of it won’t be. Hope you all like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            “What are you doing here?” Dick asked Barbara once he got over the shock of her sudden presence.</p><p>            “Bruce called. He thought you could use a friend.” Barbara replied as she walked over to him.</p><p>            “A babysitter you mean.” Dick corrected with a slightly bitter tone.</p><p>            “Well, you don’t have the best track record of staying put Dick Grayson.” Barbara reminded him, coming to a stop in front of him,</p><p>            “If I recall correctly, you don’t either.”</p><p>            “Maybe, but it’s still better than yours.” She said with a smirk. They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence, then they both beamed and hugged each other.</p><p>            As Dick pulled away after a minute, he said, “It’s good to see you Babs.”</p><p>            “It’s good to see you too. How are you?” She wondered.</p><p>            “I’m doing good. Or at least, it was before all of this happened.” He responded, his tone becoming quieter and more serious as he finished his sentence.</p><p>            Barbara was quiet for a moment, wondering how she should proceed, then grabbed his hand and started to pull him out of the room as she said, “Come on. Let’s get out of here before you think of doing something stupid.”</p><p>            “There’s no harm in thinking about it.” He told her, a small, teasing grin on his face.</p><p>            “Yeah but with you, if you think about it, there’s at least an 80% chance you’ll do it.” She remarked, shooting him a smirk. Knowing that she had a point, he kept his mouth shut and let her lead him to a different room.</p><p>            They ended up back in the library, which Dick didn’t mind. It was the room that led back down to the Batcave after all. If anything happened, he’d be done there in less than a minute. As they sat down on one of the couches, Barbara said, “So, tell me what you’ve been up to in the last two years.”</p><p>            “Well, I’m officially a police detective. Me, Donna, Hank and Dawn have restarted the Titans with three new members, and Slade’s back.” Dick responded.</p><p>            “I know that Dick. Tell me about the three newbies.” Barbara told him.</p><p>            “Well, two of them are teenagers. The youngest is a girl who goes by the name Raven. She got her powers from her father who turned out to be a demon from a different dimension.”</p><p>            “Wow. How old is she?” Barbara wondered. She didn’t ask for real names, despite knowing that she could easily find them out, because she knew the importance of secret identities. She didn’t blame him for respecting that.</p><p>            “She’s 14. She’s a good kid. It’s actually because of her that we all ended up together.” He informed her. “The other teenager is Beast Boy. He’s almost 16. We’re still not fully sure how he got his abilities. He can shapeshift into animals. He had gotten sick with something when he was younger. His parents died from it, but this scientist called Chief somehow managed to save him. Whatever he did gave him powers.”</p><p>            “Weird. What about the third one?”</p><p>            At that question, Dick blushed a little which cause Barbara’s eyebrows to rise suspiciously, but she stayed quiet as he said, “Her name is Starfire. She’s an alien, and an adult. She gets her powers from the sun like Clark. She creates fire.”</p><p>            “Cool. And how long have you been together?” At that, Dick’s head snapped up and his eyes widened, making Barbara chuckle a little. “It was kinda obvious Dick.”</p><p>            “A couple of months. We first met not long after I met Raven. She saved her life. She’s, amazing.” Dick said, a distant but cheerful look in his eyes.</p><p>            “And you’re happy?” Barbara questioned with a serious tone.</p><p>            Staring into her eyes, he said, “Yeah, I am.”</p><p>            “Good. That’s all that matters.” She replied. Dick smiled, then changed the subject.</p><p>            “And how have you been? What’s new in your life?”</p><p>            “Nothing much. While I do enjoy teaching, it’s not that exciting. Or at least, not the kind of exciting that you’re used to.” Barbara informed him.</p><p>            “You still going out at night?”</p><p>            “Not as much as I used to.”</p><p>            “You miss it?” Dick questioned. When he had tried to quit being Robin, he had often found himself missing it along with feeling drawn back into the vigilante life.</p><p>            Nodding, she said, “At times yeah, but it’s actually kind of nice, actually sleeping throughout the night.”</p><p>            “And how’s your Dad?”</p><p>            “He’s doing good. Still having trouble with dirty cops, but that’s Gotham PD for you. No matter how many crooked police officers we catch and put away, another just takes their place. There was actually a time he joked about hiring you because he knew you’d never accept bribes or anything like that.”</p><p>            “Really? Hard to believe that’s the same man who threatened to have those dirty cops kill me and hide my body.”</p><p>            “Well, that because you were about to take his only daughter out on a date boy wonder.”</p><p>             Chuckling, Dick said, “I suppose that would have something to do with it.”</p><p>            “Come on Dick, you know he likes you. He’s always liked you.” Barbara told him.</p><p>            “I like him too. He’s a good man.” Dick replied.</p><p>            For the next while, they chatted about very mundane things. She told him about what’s been happening in Gotham and what he had all missed during the last two years. He told her about his job and how the Titans were reformed and about Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire. He kept using their superhero names as he had no idea if they would be okay with Barbara knowing their secret identities. He trusted her and knew that she wouldn’t tell anyone, but they didn’t know her and they weren’t here to give permission. He wasn’t going to tell her without their knowledge or permission.</p><p>            After what felt like only a couple of minutes though was probably a lot longer than that, time always goes faster when you’re talking with someone, Barbara decided to bring up Deathstroke again. It was a bit of a gamble, but he seemed relaxed enough that he might open up.</p><p>            “So, how are you really doing with Slade being back?” She asked. Dick tensed up again like last time the assassin was mentioned and he internally debated trying to get out of it again, but he had an inkling Barbara wouldn’t drop it as easily as she did before. Plus, this was Babs. He’d always been able to talk to her.</p><p>            “Not good.” He told her. “It wouldn’t be so bad if he was just going to come after me, but I know that he’s going to go after the others. Even the ones who weren’t a part of the Titans before. But, I never thought I would have to deal with this all again.”</p><p>            “I know. I really wish you didn’t have to. Would’ve been so much better if Slade was actually dead.” Barbara responded. Though she followed Bruce’s rule about no killing, there were still times she wished death upon criminals and Slade was one of them, especially when she saw the state Dick was in because of him.</p><p>            <em>Barbara quietly made her way towards the infirmary section of the Batcave. She was dressed in civilian clothes, having changed out of her Batgirl uniform before she arrived. Today was the day of Garth’s funeral. Well, the small ceremony the superheroes had for him before Aquaman took his body home to Atlantis to be buried among their people. Donna was there, along with Roy, Wally, Hank and Dawn, but she didn’t stay to talk. She wanted to come back to check on Dick, who was still unconscious in the Batcave, unaware that he was missing their friend’s funeral.</em></p><p>
  <em>            Dick still hadn’t woken up at all yet since he was brought here after being rescued from Deathstroke. According to Alfred, he had passed out right after Garth was shot and he had been unconscious ever since, though that was hardly his fault. Due to how serious his injuries were along with how numerous they were, Leslie and Alfred were keeping him sedated to help make sure that he would recover properly. They were both well aware of Dick’s habit to push himself too hard when he needed to rest and heal. Despite knowing that, and knowing that he would make a full recovery, it still hurt and scared her to see just how badly Dick was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            As Barbara sat down in the chair at Dick’s bedside, she quickly examined him. The bandages seemed to have recently been changed. Probably by Alfred. The last thing they needed was Dick getting an infection. One of the IVs was gone, though the novel cannula was still in place. The bruises were beginning to fade but his face was still pretty swollen. It would be at least a week for that to go down, but that was the superficial and visible injuries.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Pretty much all of his ribs were broken. It was either extreme luck or a testament of how skilled Deathstroke was that he didn’t puncture Dick’s lungs when he broke them. He had a dislocated ankle, broken arm, dislocated shoulder, some broken fingers and a massive concussion. As if that wasn’t enough, he had several cuts, bruises, stab and bullet wounds. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised considering he had been the prisoner of a ruthless murderer for months. It was already a small miracle that Slade didn’t just kill him. However, it looked like he had been used as a human punching bag or something. His recovery was going to be long and difficult, both physically and mentally.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Barbara reached forward to grab his hand in both of hers, being careful not to dislodge the IV. She held it tightly for a few seconds when she noticed that somehow his hair had gotten in his face again. Ever since he was a boy, his hair was always unruly, though in a somewhat fashionable way. Though messy, it looked good, if it would only stay out of his eyes. How many times had she brushed it out of his face since she met him? Run her fingers through it?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so still. You’re not even twitching. Not going to lie, it’s a bit unsettling.” Barbara told him, reaching up to push his bangs out of his face. She hoped that maybe he’d respond to the touch or her words, assure her that he knew she was here and he was listening, but he didn’t.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            “It’s okay though. Take all the time you need. Everything’s going to be okay.” She said, then settled more into her chair, prepared to wait.</em>
</p><p>            Coming back to reality as the flashback faded, Barbara asked, “Do the others know about Slade?”</p><p>            “Not the details. Just that his son died trying to kill us, Slade blames us for it, and that Slade kidnapped me and that Garth died while they were rescuing me. That’s it.” Dick replied.</p><p>            “They don’t know why or, what Slade wanted from you?” Barbara questioned cautiously. Dick shook his head but didn’t say anything.</p><p>            “I understand not wanting tell them, but considering everything going on, don’t you think they should know?”</p><p>            “No. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting Slade. What happened five years ago isn’t important.” Dick answered.</p><p>            “Dick,” Barbara started, but stopped when the secret door to the Batcave opened up and Alfred came into the room.</p><p>            “Apologizes for the interruption, but I thought you would want to know that Master’s Bruce and Jason will be arriving in less than five minutes.” Alfred informed them.</p><p>            Hearing that, Dick jumped to his feet and ran towards the opening, past the butler and down to the Cave. Alfred raised an eyebrow when the young man did that. He did not approve of adults running around the house, especially not on the stairs, unless in an emergency of course. It wasn’t proper. However, considering the circumstances, he wasn’t going to comment on it. He then exchanged a look with Barbara, waited for her to come over and down the stairs, at a walk instead of a run, then followed her after closing the door.</p><p>            Dick paced back and forth across the room, counting every second that passed, the room filled with a nervous silence. After three minutes and 56 seconds, the Batplane finally appeared and landed. He started making his way towards it but stopped in shock when the door opened, revealing more than just Bruce and Jason. The Titans, his friends, his family, were with them.</p><p>            “Dick!” Rachel cried out as she ran towards him. She was going so fast that he only had time to take one or two steps and open his arms before she slammed into him.</p><p>            “What are you guys doing here?” Dick asked as the others reached them.</p><p>            “Jason and Batman brought us.” Gar told him as Dick lifted an arm for the teenager to duck under and join the hug, which he did.</p><p>            “I see that, but why?” Dick questioned, looking over at Bruce.</p><p>            “Slade attacked us at our apartment.” Donna answered.</p><p>            “What?” Dick shouted before he pulled away from Rachel and Gar to looked them over. “Are you okay?”</p><p>            “Yeah, we’re fine.” Rachel assured him, also taking the chance to examine him. Her worried eyes quickly focused on the bruises and cut on his face. She was about to ask if he was okay when somewhere behind her, Kory said, “We’re all fine.”</p><p>            Both Gar and Rachel stepped back from Dick to let the redheaded alien approach her boyfriend. Dick quickly pulled her into his arms, held her tightly, then pulled back to kiss her, which she returned. After that, he looked over at Bruce, Jason, Donna, Dawn and Hank and said, “Tell me what happened.”</p><p>            Dick felt like he was going to explode with rage as the Titans filled him in on what he all missed. The sole reason he agreed to stay in Gotham was to keep everyone safe, yet somehow Slade found them and attacked. He had hoped that Slade wouldn’t even bother with the others, that he’d just follow him, though he knew there was a chance that he wouldn’t. Slade wasn’t afraid to fight dirty. And not only was he not there to protect them from the assassin in the first place, but he wasn’t even with Bruce and Jason to help fight Slade off. Bruce should’ve let him come with them.</p><p>            “Are you sure you guys are okay?” Dick repeated his earlier question once they finished telling him what had occurred.</p><p>            “Yeah, we’re all fine. I promise.” Kory answered, doing her best to reassure him. She could tell that he was still worried but he seemed to believe her.</p><p>            “How did Slade even know where you all were?” Dick inquired. “He doesn’t know who any of you are.”</p><p>            “It actually wouldn’t be that hard to figure out.” Bruce said, pulling down his cowl, letting everyone see his identity. Of course it was only a shock to Kory, Gar and Rachel as everyone else know that Batman was Bruce Wayne.</p><p>            “No way.” Dick heard Gar whisper to Rachel and he would’ve been amused by it if he didn’t have other things to be worried about.</p><p>            “What do you mean?” He asked his former mentor.</p><p>            “Well, Slade knows your identity. He could’ve easily found out that you are Rachel and Gar’s legal guardian. He would also be able to find where you worked and could’ve gotten your address from there.” Bruce explained.</p><p>            “How did I not think of that?” Dick muttered, wanting to kick himself for being so stupid.</p><p>            “You have a concussion Dick. Give yourself a break.” Barbara chimed in, causing the others to finally notice her sitting on the stairs watching them.</p><p>            “Barbara? What are you doing here?” Donna wondered. She had known Barbara Gordon for years, first meeting her at some party or something in Gotham about two years after she first met Dick. She was also the only Titan aside from Dick that knew she was Batgirl and that she and Dick had dated years ago. But as far as she knew, Dick and Barbara hadn’t talked in quite a while. She had no idea why she was here.</p><p>            “Bruce called me. He was a little worried that Dick would do something stupid.” Barbara replied.</p><p>            “Makes sense.” Donna said.</p><p>            “I’m right her.” Dick reminded them.</p><p>            “That you are.” Barbara said with a smirk. She then stood up and added, “It’s getting late, I should be going. I leave him in your guys’ capable hands.”</p><p>            “Hey Barbara?” Dick called out before she take more than a single step. When she looked back at him, he said, “It was good to see you.”</p><p>            “It was good to see too.” Barbara responded, then turned around and walked up the stairs out of the Cave.</p><p>            Once she was gone, Alfred came over to them and said, “Miss Barbara is correct. It is indeed very late and you all appear to be exhausted.”</p><p>            “Alfred’s right. We can talk in the morning.” Bruce agreed. “Will you them to the guest rooms?”</p><p>            “Wait a minute.” Rachel said, coming back over to Dick’s side. Before he could say or do anything, she gently placed a hand on Dick’s face, right over the bruises. Almost immediately, Dick could feel the swelling and the scabbed over cut disappear and the dull ache in his head vanish.</p><p>            “There you go.” Rachel told him with a smile as she dropped her arm.</p><p>            “You didn’t have to do that but thank you.” Dick replied. As he looked over at everyone else, he could see the stunned expressions on Bruce, Jason and Alfred’s faces, not having known that Rachel could heal people. Ignoring that though, he said, “Come on, let’s go get some sleep.”</p><p>            With that, Alfred led the group up to the Manor and to the rooms where they were going to stay.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case you’re still wondering, the events of The Killing Joke have not happened yet. Hope you guys liked this chapter! See you all next time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Wayne Manor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am so, so, SO SORRY! I didn't even realize that it had been over a month since I've last updated. I never meant to let so much time go by but I had been so busy with work, life in general and working on three different stories. But I've finished one, am almost finished another, so I should be able to give this story more attention going forward. Hope you guys like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Dick laid quietly in his bed, Kory in his arms. He knew that she was also awake and probably also aware that he was up, but she didn’t say anything either. He loved these moments. It was peaceful, comforting. Though it wasn’t their bed, in their apartment and the reason why they weren’t there weighed on his mind, it was still nice. It ended though when he heard Kory ask, “You awake?”</p><p>            “Yeah.” He quietly confirmed. He felt her turn around and when he opened his eyes, he saw that she was watching him.</p><p>            “Are you okay?” She wondered, confusing Dick.</p><p>            “I’m with you, and the kids and the Titans are here and safe. Why wouldn’t I be?” Dick responded.</p><p>            “Because of Slade.” He was able to resist an annoyed groan at that but he did close his eyes as Kory continued, “You still haven’t said anything about what happened with him.”</p><p>            “And I don’t want to.” Dick told her, his tone getting a little harder.</p><p>            “I know, but I think you need to. It could help.” Kory replied, her voice staying just as gentle as it was before.</p><p>            “It’s in the past Kory. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is finding him and taking him down.” He said. Kory opened her mouth to argue when there was a knock at the door.</p><p>            Looking over at it, Dick said, “Come in.”</p><p>            “Good morning Master Dick, Ms. Kory.” Alfred greet after opening the door. “I trust you slept will.”</p><p>            “We did, thank you.” Dick politely informed him.</p><p>            “Good. Breakfast is ready downstairs. The others are already down.” Alfred replied.</p><p>            “We’ll be right there. Thank you Alfred.” Dick said. With a quick nod, Alfred turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.</p><p>            “Come on. If we don’t go down now, the kids are going to eat all the food.” Dick told her as he threw off the covers and got up to get dressed. Kory watched him for a minute, slightly frustrated at his attempts to avoid having the conversation she thought that he should have, but knowing he was and actually being hungry, she also got up to get changed.</p><p>            Once they were dressed, they went downstairs to find everyone, with the exception of Bruce, at the table eating.</p><p>            “Morning sleepyheads.” Hank said with a smirk when he saw them enter the room.</p><p>            “Good morning.” Kory replied as she took a seat. Dick sat down beside her and they immediately started eating the breakfast that Alfred had prepared for them.</p><p>            For the next few minutes, the atmosphere was light. Everyone was digging into the food on their plates, too amazed by how perfect the butler’s cooking was to even really talk. And when they did talk, it wasn’t about anything serious. It was mostly just complimenting Alfred’s cooking and catching Dick up on what he missed over the last several days he had been in Gotham. Even Jason wasn’t doing or saying anything that would disturb it which Dick was grateful for. Throughout his stay at the Manor, the newest Robin did a good job of getting on his nerves and Dick was struggling to keep from going off on him. He briefly wondered how long that would last.</p><p>            The peace ended though when Rachel asked, “So what happens now?”</p><p>            “Well, what do you want to do?” Jason wondered, apparently not understanding her question.</p><p>            “I mean, what do we do about Slade?” Rachel clarified. “He’s still out there and we can’t really do anything until we catch him.”</p><p>            “Don’t worry. Bruce will find and catch him soon. I doubt you guys will be here longer than a week.” Jason replied before taking another bite.</p><p>            “Really?” Gar said excitedly.</p><p>            “He’s not called the World’s Greatest Detective for nothing.” The fellow teenager responded with a smirk.</p><p>            “Be that as it may,” Dick chimed in, “it still might be a while before he’s caught. Slade had a lot of experience of staying under the radar.”</p><p>            “So we just stay here until Slade is caught, even though we have no idea how long it’s going to take?” Hank grumbled unhappily, causing Dick to shoot him a glare. He understood his frustration but it wasn’t like he was any happier about this than everyone else was.</p><p>            Apparently sensing that a change in topic was needed, Jason said, “Since you guys are going to be here for the foreseeable future, how about a tour after breakfast?”</p><p>            “That’s not a bad idea.” Dick told him. He had no doubt that there were places in the Manor that would interest the others, especially Rachel and Gar. And the more distracted they were, the less likely they were to remember why they were and start asking questions about what happened five years ago. Donna, Dawn and Hank didn’t look thrilled about the idea, but they shrugged, meaning that they go along with it though. Rachel, Gar and Kory on the other hand looked intrigued by the idea, especially Gar who smiled and said, “Cool!”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Almost two hours later, Jason and Dick were still showing the others around. Normally Dick found tours kind of boring, but it actually wasn’t that bad. Jason tried to make it somewhat entertaining, which Dick expected but what he didn’t expect was Donna chiming in with some stories from when they were kids. Like how one time, Bruce was hosting a gala for something and the two of them ditched to hang out in the treehouse out back and ended up falling asleep out there, causing Bruce to nearly have a heart attack. Or how the chandelier by the stairs wasn’t the original one because Dick had decided to swing from it despite having been told not to and the rusty wires snapped, sending him and the chandelier.</p><p>            Dick normally wouldn’t have liked his friends, his girlfriend and the kids hearing embarrassing stories about him, but not only was Donna careful not to say anything too humiliating, it was actually fighting. Of course, at the time it wasn’t funning when the chandelier fell, but now it brought a smile to his face. His relationship with Bruce was always complicated, yet he couldn’t deny that he had many happy memories of life at the Manor, especially when he was younger. Back then, after Dick finally started getting comfortable in his new home and was slowly healing from his parents’ murder, Bruce had started to become like a father to him. As much as he still hurt and as much anger he still harboured, he did become happy here. Until he got older and everything went to h*ll that is.</p><p>            “Why does someone need two libraries in their house?” Rachel wondered as they entered the second library that was on the second floor.</p><p>            “Not enough space for all the books I guess.” Dick answered. He himself had wondered that when Alfred showed him around when he first moved in all those years ago. The answer butler gave him though at the time was just that the designer of the house decided to make it that way.</p><p>            “Nah. It’s because the rich snobs who made the house would banish the people they didn’t like to the second floor and they needed to make sure that they were well entertained so they wouldn’t come back down.” Jason joked.</p><p>            Gar apparently didn’t get it because he frowned and said, “But, we’re staying on the second floor.”</p><p>            “Jason made that up Gar. And everyone except Alfred sleeps on the second floor.” Dick told him.</p><p>            “Then what’s on the third and fourth floors?” Kory asked, looking over at her boyfriend.</p><p>            “Mostly just more bedrooms, a smaller gym, a sun room and another, smaller, library.” Dick revealed, causing everyone but Donna and Jason’s eyes to widen.</p><p>            “Why does someone need all of that? Especially if they already have those on a different in the old days.” Hank questioned.</p><p>            “Because rich people need to flaunt their money as much as possible, especially back in the old days.” Jason answered.</p><p>            For a minute, the group stayed quiet, then Gar asked, “Can we see the Batcave?”</p><p>            Jason and Dick both immediately locked eyes at that question. Though the Titans were fellow heroes and knew Bruce Wayne was Batman, Bruce would not like them hanging around in the Cave. Plus, Gar had a tendency to get easily and extremely excited and when that happened, he liked to touch things and become pretty clumsy. There was no doubt in Dick’s mind that if Bruce was here instead of at work, he would tell them ‘no’. Jason however, either didn’t know that, didn’t care or, more likely, just wanted to look cool in front of the others because he smirked and turned to face the others.</p><p>            “Well,”</p><p>            “Actually, there’s not much there that isn’t also in the Manor, like the big gym downstairs. Let’s go there.” Dick cut Jason off, earning a small glare from high school senior.</p><p>            “But I want to see all the cool Batman stuff.” Gar said, practically whining.</p><p>            “Trust me, the last thing you guys want is Bruce annoyed and angry at you.” Dick told him and before Gar could continue arguing, he added, “Come on, let’s go downstairs.”</p><p>            Wordlessly, they all followed him out of the room, though Dick could see the disappointed on the green-haired boy’s face from the corner of his eye.</p><p>            Soon, they were all back on the main floor in the large gym. Dick and Jason had already shown them this room, but they didn’t really give them a chance to explain. Now they did. Though Dick could tell that Gar, and probably the others were disappointed that they weren’t in the Batcave, he could also see that they were impressed by the place.</p><p>            “This is pretty cool.” Hank admitted to Dick while Jason showed the others around and explained some of the equipment. Before Dick could respond, he heard Rachel ask, “What’s that in the back?”</p><p>            “Looking over to see what she was talking about, Dick said, “It’s old acrobatic equipment.”</p><p>            “Bruce got that all for you?” Dawn wondered, knowing about Dick’s acrobatic background and that Bruce didn’t use those skills in his fighting.</p><p>            “Yeah, not long after I moved in. He thought it would help me settle in more. And stay off the chandelier.” Dick said with a grin.</p><p>            “Did it work?” Kory wondered, coming over to her boyfriend’s side.</p><p>            “Actually yeah, it did.” Dick responded, his expression turning into a thoughtful one as he again remembered how he felt when Bruce first showed him the equipment.</p><p>            “You going to show us some moves?” Kory then asked, smirking as she nudged his arm.</p><p>            “Maybe later.”</p><p>            “He’s probably too rusty and doesn’t want to embarrass himself.” Jason chimed in. Knowing that Jason was just trying to egg him on, Dick stayed silent, deciding to just glare at him instead. Apparently realizing that Dick wasn’t going to react, Jason opened his mouth to try again to get a reaction out of him, Gar suddenly said, “Cool! You guys train with these?”</p><p>             “Yeah we do.” Jason told him when he saw that Gar had grabbed one of the training bo’s.</p><p>            Twisting it in his hand so it was pointing at Jason, Gar said in a mock-serious voice, “I hear-by challenge you to a duel.”</p><p>            “Challenge accepted.” Jason replied, also with a jokingly serious tone before he rushed to grab his own bo.</p><p>            The two then made their way to the matts in the center of the room. Holding their weapons like they were swords, they immediately started fighting while the others watched. It was quite entertaining. Especially when they started ‘politely’ trash mouthing each other. Soon though, Jason disarmed Gar and declared himself the best swordsman in the world. At that, Rachel quickly challenged him, which he instantly accepted.</p><p>            As they got into position, the majority of Dick’s focus shifted to Jason instead of Rachel. He found himself studying the way he moved, how he’d attack and defend, how he himself focused on his opponent. Dick couldn’t deny that he was a very good fighter. Of course he still had some rough edges that needed smoothing out, but Dick knew that with more experience that he’d be a force to reckon with.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            It was nearly midnight, yet Dick was still awake. He and Kory had decided to go to bed a while ago but a growing headache forced him to head down to the kitchen for some Tylenol. The place was dead quiet which wasn’t surprising. The other Titans had gone to bed as well, Bruce and Jason were most likely on patrol which meant that Alfred was down in the Cave, stress cleaning or something until they returned.</p><p>            Making his way back to the stairs however, Dick found that he was wrong about one of those things. Instead of being out on patrol like he had assumed, avoiding Bruce meant not fully knowing where he was or what was going on, Jason was sitting in the living room, leaning over the coffee table which had what appeared to be a school binder.</p><p>            “Still up?” Dick questioned as he made his way into the room.</p><p>            Looking up at him, Jason answered, “Just finishing up some schoolwork. You know Bruce. If the grades drop, you get benched.”</p><p>            “Yeah. I remember that.” Dick responded, coming to a stop near the couch where Jason sat.</p><p>            “You probably never had that problem, huh?” Jason then muttered, causing Dick to look over at him.</p><p>            “What are you talking about?”</p><p>            “Having to work to keep your grades up.”</p><p>            “I don’t know if I’d say that.” Dick said, moving to lean against the couch. “I definitely struggled when I first started. Before I lived with Bruce I was homeschooled. It took a while to get adjusted. And even when I did, I still hated it.”</p><p>            “Really?” Jason asked with a slightly disbelieving tone.</p><p>            “Circus orphan in a private school full of rich, self-intitled snobs. How well do you think that went over?” Dick wondered.</p><p>            While Jason nodded in understanding, knowing firsthand how those kids acted, he said, “Bruce never mentioned anything like that. According to him, you’re perfect.”</p><p>            This time, it was Dick who stared in disbelief. “He said that?”</p><p>            “Well, not outright but I can see it on his face.”</p><p>            “Trust me Jason. I was not, and am not perfect. Bruce knows it and he made d*mn well sure that I knew it too back when I was Robin.” Dick responded, his tone becoming bitter and angry.</p><p>            “Seriously?” Jason questioned, tone full of disbelief.</p><p>            “Yeah. Why do you think I didn’t stay?” Dick responded, shrugging his shoulders as though he thought it was obvious.</p><p>            Jason fell silent at that. He had always wondered why Dick would ever leave the Robin gig. Early into his career as the brightly-coloured hero had asked Bruce that, and not only did Bruce refuse to answer, he had silently made sure that Jason knew to never ask that again. It only took about a month before he got curious again. That time though he asked Alfred. All the butler would say way that it was because of the personal differences, but he definitely gave off the vibe that it was Bruce’s fault.</p><p>            “Is that why you don’t like me being Robin?” He then wondered, looking back up at Dick.</p><p>            Sighing, Dick revealed, “Bruce and I had a really big fight, had been fighting for a while actually. During that fight, Bruce basically said that having a sidekick, a partner was a mistake and that he wouldn’t do that again.”</p><p>            “So when I showed up,”</p><p>            “It was a surprise alright.” Dick interrupted, nodding his head. “What made it worse was that Bruce gave you Robin.”</p><p>            “Robin is Batman’s partner though.” Jason pointed out.</p><p>            “It wasn’t his to give. I created Robin. I designed the outfit, I picked the colours and the name.” Dick said with a harsh tone. Seeing Jason flinch a little because of it, Dick calmed down and explained, “Robin was a nickname my Mom gave me, when I was a little kid. She said it was because when she saw me on the trapeze, I reminded her of a robin, her favourite bird. I created the identity to hunt for the man who killed her and my Dad. And Bruce just gave that away without asking or telling me.”</p><p>            For a few seconds, Jason sat in stunned silence before he whispered, “I didn’t know.”</p><p>            “I know you didn’t.”</p><p>            “Do you want me to change my name?” Jason suddenly asked, surprising Dick. “I can you know. And I’m sure Lucius and I can come up with a different outfit or something.”</p><p>            “No, it’s okay. You’re right.” Dick said, coming over to stand in front of Jason. “Robin is Batman’s partner. He’s more than what I originally created him for. It’s yours now.”</p><p>            “Thanks.” Jason replied with a small but sincere smile.</p><p>            “See you in the morning. Don’t stay up too late.” Dick told him, then proceeded to make his way out of the room.</p><p>            “I won’t.” Jason said. However, something suddenly came to his mind and he called out, “Hey Dick?”</p><p>            When he saw Dick turn his head back in his direction, he asked, “Do you think that maybe you can show me some moves?”</p><p>            “Sure.” Dick answered with a smile, then turned back around and headed for the stairs, more than ready for bed.</p><p>            Unbeknownst to the two, Bruce stood in the shadows near the other entrance to the room. He had just come back from a quick patrol and was on his way to bed when he heard their voices. He had been intending to just send them to bed as well, but when he heard what they were talking about, he froze and listened in. As Dick explained the meaning behind Robin and his own hurt as to what he had done by giving the mantle to Jason, Bruce felt the guilt he already carried weigh more heavily in his gut.</p><p>            He had always known that he messed up with how he acted and had been treating Dick in those last few years before Dick left, but he didn’t think at all about how giving Robin to Jason would be a part of that. Getting another partner, yes, but Dick didn’t tell him where he got the name Robin from, or the colours and he never asked. As guilty as he felt, and as much as he knew that he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to fix his relationship with his adopted son, he was glad that Dick and Jason were finally starting to get along. That was one win at least that he was completely willing to take.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Is my family the only one who has a medicine cabinet in the kitchen? Anyways, sorry again this chapter took so long but I hope you guys liked it! See you all next time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Publicity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            The next day, Dick was down in the Batcave, again looking for any lead on Slade that he could find. Gar and Rachel had wanted to help when they heard what his plan for the day, but he declined their offer. Though he was sure they did want to help, he knew a part of the reason was simply because they wanted to explore the Batcave. As much as he loved those two kids, he wasn’t in the mood to babysit them or be distracted which definitely would’ve happened if he let them come down with him. Plus, if Bruce came down and saw the two teenagers in his Cave, his attitude would worsen.</p><p>            Unfortunately, the search for Slade went as well as it had the last several times. Despite the house trying to think of where the assassin was or where he was going, or what he was up to, Dick got nowhere. After about four or five hours, he switched to something different. He was tired of failing at a task and wanted to do something productive, which led to him emailing Lucius about new equipment that the Titans needed. Especially Gar. Though his suit was amazing for when he shapeshifted, he couldn’t communicate. They needed to fix that.</p><p>            “Any sign of Slade yet?” Dick heard Bruce ask. He glanced over his shoulder to find the older man coming down the last of the steps towards him. Turning his attention back to the screen, he answered, “Nope.”</p><p>            Bruce let out a small grunt, letting Dick know that he heard him, but didn’t say anything until he had come to stand behind him. However, when he saw what was on the screen, he asked, “What are you doing?”</p><p>            “Emailing Lucius.” Dick told him as he continued typing.</p><p>            “About what?”</p><p>            “Some equipment that we need.” When Dick didn’t elaborate, Bruce came to lean against the desk and suggested, “Why don’t you come to the office with me? See him in person?”</p><p>            “I don’t think so.” Dick responded automatically, shaking his head.</p><p>            “Why not?” Bruce wondered, sounding genuinely curious as to why Dick wouldn’t want to go see the man that had once been a part of his life and was the supplier of his and the others’ equipment.</p><p>            “Because I,” Dick started, then stopped when he realized he didn’t really have a good reason. Not one that he wanted to voice out loud anyways.</p><p>He hadn’t been to Wayne Enterprises in over two years and if he was spotted by anybody with a phone who recognized him, he knew what tomorrow’s headlines would be. Then there was the fact that the workers who saw him would instantly think that Bruce was once again trying to convince him to start training to eventually take over the company which nobody but Bruce actually wanted. Dick hated being in charge of the company and the board hated the idea of a circus boy who was not a part of their circles being in control, even though he was actually very good at it. Then there was the fact that despite the building being only a few minutes away, he would be spending those moments completely along with Bruce and Dick had no doubt that Bruce might try and take advantage of it. However, along with not wanting to voice those reasons, he knew that it would easier to explain everything to Lucius in person. Plus, it would be nice to see the man after so long.</p><p>            “Fine.” Dick said. Doing his best to ignore the way Bruce seemed grin at his agreement, he deleted the email and stood up, following the older man up to the Manor.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Bruce and Dick were silent as the billionaire drove them to Wayne Enterprises. A lot of the time, Alfred was their chauffeur. Had to keep up appearances after all, but Bruce wanted to stay to keep an eye on the others. Dick told him that Rachel and Gar would be fine, especially with Kory, Donna, Dawn and Hank watching them, but Bruce said that it was Jason he was a little concerned about. Apparently there was an incident where he was left completely alone that involved a motorcycle. Dick didn’t ask for any more details. He could imagine how well that turned out.</p><p>            Thankfully, Bruce drove to the private and secured parking lot under the building and parked there instead of out in the open. Being the one of the world’s top billionaires and a well-known playboy drew a lot of attention from the paparazzi, and Dick was in no mood to deal with that today. There had been multiple times he had nearly punched them and a rare occasion that he actually did. And considering he hadn’t been seen out and about with Bruce in over two years, he could imagine the press going crazy if word of his return leaked out.</p><p>            Once Bruce parked, they both got out and started making their way to the elevator which would bring them up to the building above. Along the way, they passed an employee who was heading out. Dick didn’t recognize him but it was impossible to not notice how he stopped and stared at them. Offering the man a polite smile, Dick said nothing as they walked by and entered the elevator.</p><p>            “You’re tense.” Bruce observed as soon as the doors closed.</p><p>            “Forgot how much I hate people constantly looking at me.” Dick responded, keeping his eyes straight ahead.</p><p>            “You didn’t always.” Bruce responded, a touch of sadness in his voice. As hurt and angry as Dick was when he first took him in after his parents’ deaths, Dick had a smile that would light up every room he entered. He could easily turn on the charm and treat others extremely kindly and sweet, even those he knew disapproved of him simply because of his past as a member of the circus. He had also seemed to thrive under the attention.</p><p>            “Things change.” Dick told him, not that he needed to. Bruce was all too aware of all the changes that happened as Dick grew from that boy into the adult that stood next to him.</p><p>            “That they do.”</p><p>            The rest of the short ride was done in silence. The minute they reached the floor they were heading to and the doors opened however, a woman with dark brown hair that was starting to turn grey, dressed in a white blouse and a black pencil skirt quickly walked towards them. Specifically Bruce.</p><p>            “Mr. Wayne, Mrs. Harding is waiting for you in the,” the woman stopped, only now realizing that her boss was not alone. Her eyes lit up as she said, “Dick. Oh, I mean Mr. Grayson, I didn’t see you there.”</p><p>            “It’s fine Ms. Smith. And please, call me Dick. Nothing has changed in that.” Dick told her with a smile. Mrs. Smith had been Bruce’s secretary for years and would actually watch Dick when he was younger and was dragged to Bruce’s job for some reason or another. It was her who usually ended up making those days bearable and even fun at times.</p><p>            “It is wonderful to see you again.” Mrs. Smith then said, also smiling as she held out a hand.</p><p>            Reaching out to shake it, Dick said, “You too.”</p><p>            “Is Lucius in his office?” Bruce questioned, bringing the secretary’s attention back to him.</p><p>            “Yes. He retreated there to hide from Mrs. Harding who is waiting for you in your office.” She answered with a knowing grin.</p><p>            “Oh joy.” Bruce replied sarcastically. Looking over at Dick, he asked, “I trust you remember how to get Lucius’s office?”</p><p>            “Yup.” Dick responded, nodding his head.</p><p>            “Good. Then I will see you later.” Bruce told him, then turned to head in the direction of his office. Mrs. Smith gave Dick another smile before she followed after her boss while Dick turned in the opposite direction towards the office of the man he had come to see.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            About four hours later, Dick and Bruce sat in the car, on their way back to the Manor. Dick was a little surprised that Bruce didn’t try to stay longer as the man was a complete workaholic and would normally spend the entire day at the company. However, when Dick and Lucius finished, Dick sent the billionaire a quick text to let him know and Bruce responded within two minutes, telling him that he’ll meet him at the elevator in five and that was that.</p><p>            “Was Lucius able to help?” Bruce asked as he pulled into the Manor’s long drive way, stopping at the gate to punch in the code.</p><p>            “He thinks so. He’s going to look into it and do some experimenting and get back to me.” Dick answered, thinking back over everything that he and Lucius had talked about.</p><p>            “Good.” Bruce responded, giving Dick a small smile. The two fell silent again as Bruce drove them up to the house.</p><p>            Once they were inside, Dick immediately went off in search of the others. There was still an hour left before supper so they still had time to kill and after not seeing them since breakfast, he wanted to make sure they were alright and weren’t getting into trouble of anything.</p><p>            He expected Bruce to head straight to his office or the Batcave or to go find Alfred. Instead, he followed him towards the game room where he figured his teammates would be. He wondered if Bruce wanted to talk to him about something, but then he realized he was probably looking for Jason. And Jason was most likely in the game room, or wherever the others were.</p><p>            Entering the game room, Dick and Bruce before easily spotted Jason and Gar sitting in front of the TV playing a video game. Donna was sitting on one of the couches working on her laptop while Kory sat on a different couch reading a magazine. There was no sign of Hank, Dawn or Rachel though. However, Dick simply figured that Rachel was probably in her room and that the two blonde vigilantes were in the gym or something. He’d check on them later. Or see them at supper.</p><p>            “Hey.” Gar said when he saw them enter, causing the others to look over at them as well.</p><p>            “Hey guys. What are you all up to?” Dick wondered as he crossed the room to sit down beside Kory, giving her a quick peck as he did so.</p><p>            “Nothing much.” Jason answered, completely absorbed in the game.</p><p>            Bruce frowned a little at that and noticing the empty snack bowls on the coffee table, he asked, “Have you guys been in here all day?”</p><p>            “Were we supposed to do something else?” Jason questioned with a somewhat snarky tone. Bruce opened his mouth to call him out on it, but at that moment, Rachel entered the room.</p><p>            “Guess what’s all over Gotham news.” She said as she walked to where Dick and Kory were sitting, looking down at her phone as everyone in the room turned to look at her.</p><p>            “What?” Dick asked as she reached them.</p><p>            “‘The son of billionaire Bruce Wayne has returned!’.” She read off the headline of the article that had popped up on her news feed. Dick’s face immediately became serious and annoyed as he said, “You’re kidding.”</p><p>            “Nope.” Rachel said. Looking over at more headlines of other articles from different sites posting about the same thing, she added, “This one actually calls you Gotham’s Prince.”</p><p>            “Wow. You never said you were royalty.” Kory teased with a wide grin as Dick’s annoyance grew.</p><p>            “I’m not.” He told her, then grabbed the phone out of Rachel’s hand. Seeing what was all being posted, he said, “This is ridiculous.”</p><p>            “You know, this is probably a good thing.” Bruce commented, reminding everyone that he was still in the room.</p><p>            “How is having the media and paparazzi about to start stalking us a good thing?” Dick questioned. Despite Bruce’s status and reputation, he wasn’t stalked every second of every day. Only when something big had happened or was happening and Dick’s reappearance definitely counted. He had no doubt that tomorrow morning, there were be at least three paparazzi’s waiting at the gate with cameras.</p><p>            “Because now that they know you are here, it will be harder for Slade to try anything.” Bruce pointed out.</p><p>            Groaning, Dick let his head fall to the back of the couch as he said, “If I ever have to go into some form of hiding ever again, remind me of this moment. Then I will call Superman and go hang out with him.”</p><p>            “You can do that?” Gar asked, clearly about to start freaking out over the mention of Metropolis’s hero. Dick’s only response was another groan as the others smiled at the situation. However, Dick knew from experience that that wouldn’t last long. Soon they would see the many downsides of being followed around.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, if all goes well, next chapter will be up in one week! So keep your guys’ eyes out! See you all then!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Security Breach</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I did it! I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to, but I got this chapter done in a week! Yay! I will try and see if I can get the next chapter up in a week as well, but I make no promises at all. Hope you guys like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Kory stood by the window in Dick’s bedroom. She couldn’t see much since it was evening and the curtains were drawn, but through the slits of the fabric, she could make out the figures of people by the large gate and the occasional flash of a camera. When Dick had mentioned that they were about to be stalked by paparazzi, she thought he was being dramatic. That he was trying to make a point or something. When they woke up that morning however, she realized that he had been completely serious, and was completely right.</p><p>            That morning, she saw several photographers stationed outside. Every now and then, she noticed that some seemed to be switching off with others, like they were taking turns waiting, but they never really all completely left. Donna wasn’t as surprised as everyone else who wasn’t a Wayne was, but they didn’t really care. Until of course they were told they wouldn’t be seen. Then everyone started complaining, but neither Dick nor Bruce budged on that as they didn’t want any of them to be seen, because the media would go even crazier if they found out about them. They were already going crazy with the news that Dick was in town as that’s all that seemed to be on the local news and media.</p><p>            “You weren’t kidding about the press. This is ridiculous.” Kory said as she walked away from the window and looked back down at her cell phone. “So are these headlines. Check them out.”</p><p>            “No thanks.” Dick answered, coming out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.</p><p>            Kory glanced over at him, then sat down on the bed. She was about to put her phone down, but then she noticed another headline. “Ouch. This one article is really harsh.”</p><p>            Dick frowned, then walked over to her to see what she was looking at. Then, he scowled as he skimmed through the article. It basically said that he came to Gotham after being requested by Bruce because again, Bruce was trying to set things up that Wayne Enterprises would be passed on to Dick instead of Jason, which was speculated. He hated articles like this. He thought that after he left Gotham, he would never have to deal with them again.</p><p>            He remembered how the media reacted when Bruce first took him in. Though some seemed to think it was heartening to see the billionaire take in a young orphan, some outright called Dick a charity case and was only taken in to make Bruce look good. It stopped after a few months, but when Dick turned 18 and Bruce tried to involve him in the company, the media then began reporting that Bruce was planning to give it to the young man, which the high-profile citizens of the city was not at all happy about. How could a poor, orphan, circus-boy understand anything about their life after all?</p><p>            Dick was positive after he left Gotham and it became clear that he and Bruce were now estranged, that those people would be extremely happy that they no longer had to pretend to be nice to him in order to remain on Bruce’s good side. He could only imagine their surprise when he took Jason in only a month later. And of course, given Jason’s age and the fact that Dick seemed out of the picture, it would be natural to assume that Wayne Enterprises would go to Jason instead of Dick. Apparently with proof of Dick with Bruce at the company put that into question. He hoped that Jason wouldn’t find out about this article. He didn’t mind if Bruce did though. Bruce had ended up putting many media companies into bankruptcy with lawsuits because of the articles they posted.</p><p>            “Yeah, they can be pretty brutal.” Dick told Kory, then walked back into the bathroom to put the towel that was still in his hand away.</p><p>            “They talk about you guys like you aren’t human. And that Bruce is so superficial and heartless.” Kory responded, growing more furious the more she read and thought about how the reporters worded the article. How they spoke about her boyfriend and Bruce and Jason.</p><p>            “According to them, we aren’t anything more than a paycheck. And Bruce actually can be pretty heartless.” Dick said, coming back into the room.</p><p>            “Is there any truth to this?” Kory asked, looking over at her boyfriend as he sat down on the bed beside her. “You inheriting Wayne Enterprises?”</p><p>            “If Bruce had his way, then yes. That company funds at least 70% of the Justice League. We need it.” Dick explained, laying down against the pillows.</p><p>            Finally putting the phone down on the bedside table, Kory laid down on her side and said, “I can’t really picture you as a business man.”</p><p>            “And I don’t want to be one.” He replied, turning to face her.</p><p>            “Well then you have nothing to worry about.”</p><p>            “You’re talking like you think Bruce cares about what I want.” Dick scoffed, lowering his head to avoid her gaze.</p><p>            “What do you mean?” Kory questioned, furrowing her brows in confusion.</p><p>            Sighing, Dick answered, “Let’s just say that Bruce and I have had that argument before.”</p><p>            “Dick,” Kory started, reaching over to grab his hand, but stopped when something started blaring. It sounded like an alarm going off. They both shot up as the alien asked, “What was that?”</p><p>            “We gotta move!” Dick yelled instead of answering her, grabbing her hand to pull her off the bed and running towards the door. As much as Kory wanted to know what was going on, his reaction told her that whatever it was, it was bad. So she followed him out of the room.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Rachel was minutes away from falling asleep when a loud alarm started blaring. She immediately shot up in her bed, all traces of exhaustion disappearing. Though she hadn’t been here long, she hadn’t heard anything like that before and knew that whatever it was, it wasn’t good. So she threw her covers off and ran to the door. Opening it, she saw that Hank and Dawn, Donna and Gar were also standing in the doorways of their rooms, looking confused and worried. Then, the door to Dick and Kory’s room slammed opened and they came out.</p><p>            “Come on!” Dick yelled once he saw the others and started running with Kory right behind him. Though they were completely confused, they didn’t hesitate to run after him and Kory.</p><p>            “What’s going on?” Rachel asked as she struggled to keep up with Dick.</p><p>            “Someone’s trying to break in.” He told her.</p><p>            “Maybe it’s just one of those idiots with a camera.” Hank suggested, not really understanding what the big deal was, even though he was practically on his heels.</p><p>            “They wouldn’t have been able to get this far.” Dick responded as they reached the stairs.</p><p>            “What?” Dawn asked, reaching out to grab Dick’s arm to slow him down.</p><p>            Dick finally stopped and turned back to face them, but all he said was, “I’ll explain later but we got go.”</p><p>            “Go where?” Rachel questioned as Dick turned back around and started leading them down the large staircase.</p><p>            “The Cave.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Bruce sped down the hidden path to the Batcave, clutching the wheel tightly in his gloved hands. To anyone, he was speeding dangerously and maybe he was, but he was in complete control and didn’t care. One of the several security systems he had put in place surroundings the Manor had gone off and he needed to get there as fast as he could. Beside him, Jason sat silently which was extremely unusual but Bruce was grateful for it. As much as he loved the boy, his constant chattering could be a bit annoying. Dick was actually a bit like that too when he was younger. Annoying though it was, Bruce had often found himself missing it more than he thought he would.</p><p>The second they arrived in the Cave and Bruce parked the Batmobile and exited to the sound of Dick’s voice, saying, “Stop touching things Gar.”</p><p>            Bruce was a little curious about what Gar was actually doing, he did not like strangers touching his stuff, but he ignored that as he rushed over to where everyone was gathered by the computers and asked, “What happened?”</p><p>            “Someone managed to get passed the first three security systems and traps on the grounds before tripping the next one.” Dick reported, barely glancing over at him from the computer screen as he looked through all of the security footage and information that he could get at.</p><p>Near him, the others listened intently even though Dick had already told them all of this when they first got down here. Alfred was already in the Batcave, doing some cleaning when the alarms went off. Dick quickly explained to him what was happening and while the butler locked down the Cave to keep the intruder from finding the place and getting in, he started looking through security to find out what had all happened and who was trying to break in. When it became clear that the would-be intruder was gone, they all started to relax at little but to be on the safe side, they stayed in the Cave. Getting bored, Gar tried to explore and take a look around, but Dick, Hank, Dawn, Donna and Kory kept an eye on him to keep him out of trouble.</p><p>            “Slade?” Bruce questioned as he came up to stand behind Dick.</p><p>            “The cameras caught a figure, but not clearly enough to say who it was.” Dick answered, moving back a little so that Bruce could see the feed. “However, I’d say that’s a safe bet.”</p><p>            “Then what?” Bruce questioned as he watched the footage that showed a dark figure on the Manor grounds.</p><p>            “Nothing. He just, left.” Dick informed him.</p><p>            “Why would he do that?” Jason asked, coming up behind Bruce, shifting so he could also take a look at what was on the computer.</p><p>            “To let us know that he’s not scared to come after me directly. He doesn’t care about how public attacking the Manor would be.” Dick explained, lowering his gaze at the floor so he wouldn’t have to see the expressions on everyone’s faces.</p><p>            “Maybe, but the fact that he left without doing anything does show that he isn’t going to do anything yet.” Bruce pointed out.</p><p>            “Because that makes me feel so much better.” Dick said sarcastically, looking over at Bruce.</p><p>            “What if he attacks again?” Rachel asked worriedly, causing Kory to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.</p><p>            “Regardless, it is very late and you have all had an exciting evening.” Alfred interrupted, coming to stand between the Titans, and Bruce, Dick and Jason. “Slade is no longer here, which means it is now safe to head back up to the Manor. I have already checked.”</p><p>            “Any cookies?” Jason wondered. Though patrol wasn’t as longer as it normally was because of the apparent attempted break-in, he was still a bit hungry. Especially for Alfred’s cookies.</p><p>            “Of course Master Jason. You all may help yourselves to them on your way to bed.” Alfred answered, turning to face him then at the guests who had been patiently waiting in the Batcave for the all clear.</p><p>            Kory, Rachel, Hank and Gar all looked like they wanted to protest, like they wanted to remain downstairs and learn more about what happened, but Donna, knowing the butler was right, said, “Alfred’s right. Let’s go.”</p><p>            Slowly, the group headed up the stairs, leaving Alfred, Dick and Bruce alone. Alfred though didn’t stay long either. He simply turned his head to face the two men that he considered his family and gave them a look. A look that clearly said that they needed to talk. He had given them that look a lot, especially when they started fighting. He mostly directed that look at Bruce though. Now, he was giving it to both of them and they both knew why. Back then, Bruce was always the one who held back while Dick tried to figure out what was going on that was messing up their relationship. Now, they both were and they knew it. After making sure that they knew what he wanted, Alfred went up to the Manor.</p><p>            “Dick,” Bruce gently called out when Dick kept his eyes on the now empty stairs.</p><p>            “What?” The younger man replied, not bothering to look over at him.</p><p>            Bruce took another step closer, placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “It’s not your fault.”</p><p>            “I don’t want to talk about this.” Dick told him, still keeping avoiding looking at Bruce.</p><p>            “I think you should.” Bruce responded. At that, Dick shrugged Bruce’s shoulder off, stood up and walked away as he asked, “Since when do you want to talk about issues and emotions? Or do you only care when it’s not your issues and emotions?”</p><p>            Bruce stared at him in slight surprise, then lowered his own head and kept his mouth shut. He probably should’ve expected that kind of reaction from Dick. It was something that had come up a lot</p><p>            “I’m going to bed. See you around.” Dick said when Bruce stayed silent and made his way up to the Manor. As much as he wanted to, Bruce didn’t stop him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Kate Kane</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey! So, this chapter and the next chapter are a little slow, I’m sorry, but I’m trying to get everything all set up for when the action does come. I hope you guys still like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Dick slowly made his way to the game room where he could hear the voices of his friends coming from. It didn’t surprise him that they were there, they had been hanging out in that room almost constantly since they arrived, but he didn’t think it was that productive. He should start their training again soon. Just because they weren’t out fighting crime right now didn’t mean that they should slack off. He’ll start that all tomorrow though. He was too exhausted to do any training today.</p><p>            Last night, he hardly got any sleep at all. After Slade’s purposely fairly attempt to break in, Dick couldn’t fully really relax. He jumped at every noise, thinking that the assassin had returned. When it became clear that the wasn’t going to get any sleep, he went to the gym, hoping that maybe he would tire himself out. Before he knew it, it was breakfast and though he was now tired, he kept going, restarting the search for Slade which still went nowhere. It was frustrating enough that Dick wanted to bang his head into a wall.</p><p>            After spending all of the morning and the early afternoon down in the Cave, Dick headed back upstairs to see what everyone else was up to. He didn’t see them at lunch as he worked through it so he had no idea where they were or what they were doing. He was pretty sure though that they were in the game room. It had quickly and predictably become the most popular place in the building and Dick didn’t blame them. He used to spend so many hours, sometimes entire days in there, but he was starting to think that they should be doing more than playing video games and watching TV.</p><p>            Entering the room, he found Gar, Jason and Rachel sitting on the couch in front of the TV playing a video game while Kory and Donna were looking over some papers that were spread out on the coffee table. As he walked over to his girlfriend and best friend, Jason, seeing him from the corner of his eyes, said, “Dude, you look like crap.”</p><p>            “Thanks.” Dick replied sarcastically as he sat down beside Kory and looked at the table, wondering what she and Donna were doing. He quickly saw that it was actually a bunch of photos that he recognized as Donna’s, but he had no clue what they were doing with them. Maybe she was choosing some to submit to a magazine or something. She did that sometimes for a little extra cash.</p><p>            “He’s right Dick. You look awful. You okay?” Donna wondered, looking a little worried as she examined her best friends.</p><p>            “Wasn’t able to get any sleep last night.” Dick answered, leaning against the back of the couch. Kory laid a hand on his shoulder and said, “Maybe you should go lie down.”</p><p>            “If I sleep now I won’t tonight. I’ll be fine.” He told the redhead, giving her a small, assuring smile. Kory opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Hank and Dawn walked into the room.</p><p>            “So this is where the party’s at.” Hank said with a smirk as he sat down on the couch across from Dick, Kory and Donna, spreading his arms out which was a little gross sense it was clear that he and Dawn had just come from working out in the gym and hadn’t changed or showered.</p><p>            “If this is your idea of a party, I’d hate to see what college life was like for you.” Dick said, leaning his head on the back of the couch and closing his eyes.</p><p>            “Funny.” Hank responded, moving to the side a little to make room for his girlfriend who came to sit beside him. As she looked them over and noticed Dick’s body language, she turned her attention to Kory and Donna and asked, “What’s the matter with him?”</p><p>            “He’s just tired.” Kory informed her, also looking over at her boyfriend. Though he said he didn’t want to go to sleep, it looked like he didn’t have much a choice in the matter.</p><p>            Hank soon pulled everyone’s attention to himself when he said, “You know what I think?”</p><p>            “You think?” Dick automatically joked with a somewhat annoyed and serious tone of voice. Hank glared at him a little but knowing that the former Robin was teasing and tired, he let it slid.</p><p>            “I think we should leave.” Hank said, surprising everyone in the room.</p><p>            At that, Dick’s eyes shot open and he sat up straight so he could look right at the tall blonde sitting in front of him. “Leave the Manor?”</p><p>            “Leave the Manor, leave Gotham, leave the state, maybe even the country.” Hank said. Seeing that everyone was now looking at him with incredulous expressions, he explained, “Slade knows we’re here and he proved last night that he’s not scared to come after us. The whole point of us being here was to help keep us safe and we’re not. So let’s go somewhere else. Somewhere he can’t find us.”</p><p>            “I thought you didn’t like the idea of running.” Donna recalled.</p><p>            “I like the idea of staying where our enemy knows where we are even less.” Hank informed them.</p><p>            Dick couldn’t really argue with that. As much as he hated running because of the constant anxiety and it made him feel a little bit like a coward, but the idea of staying somewhere your enemy knows about and isn’t scared to come after you seemed worse. Hank had a point there. However, they had two teenagers with them and he didn’t want to take them on the run. Plus, Slade would probably be able to track them down wherever they went and he couldn’t think of a place that would be safer than here. And there was the added benefit that maybe by staying here, they could draw Slade out.</p><p>
  <em>Knock. Knock.</em>
</p><p>            Everyone looked over at the door, though it was clear the noise was from the front door of the Manor, then exchanged looks at each other. They weren’t expecting anyone at all and whoever would just show up, they would need to know the codes or they’d set off the alarms like Slade did last night.</p><p>            “What are the odds Slade actually would actually show up in broad daylight and knock on the door?” Jason questioned, turning his gaze directly at the original Titans’ members as they were the ones who knew the criminal the best.</p><p>            Dick shot him a small glare. As brazen as Slade could be sometimes, there was no way he’d actually walk up to the door and knock. That would be absolutely insane. However, as far as he was aware of, no one was supposed to be coming over. They were supposed to be laying low, especially with the paparazzi still hanging around, and no paparazzi would come up to the door, knock, and ask for a photo and interview. That would be trespassing.</p><p>            Now curious as to who was actually here, Dick stood up and walked out of the room and down to the entrance. He didn’t look to see, but he could tell from the amount of footsteps that everyone else was following him. By the time they reached the foyer, Alfred had already opened the door to let in a woman with short red hair, wearing a leather jacket.</p><p>            “Kate?” Dick said in surprise as the woman turned her attention to them.</p><p>            Smiling, she walked over to the large group until she was standing in front of Dick and as she wrapped her arms around him, she said, “Hey bird boy. What’s up?”</p><p>            “Nothing much. What are you doing here?” Dick asked, returning the hug with a surprised smile.</p><p>            “Heard you were in town. Thought I’d come say hi.” Kate explained. Pulling away from him, she turned her attention back to the others. “Who are your friends?”</p><p>            “This is Kory, Rachel, Gar.” Dick introduced the three closest to him, then pointed at the other three, skipping Jason as he was sure that she had already met him. “And that’s Donna, Dawn and Hank.”</p><p>            “Hi. I’m Kate, Bruce’s cousin. Nice to meet you.” Kate introduced herself, still smiling. She didn’t offer her hand to shake though, finding that six people were too many to actually shake hands.</p><p>            “Nice to meet you.” Kory responded as politely as possible.</p><p>            “Hey Kate.” Jason said, stepping in front of Dawn with his significant smirk.</p><p>            “Hey Jay.” She replied, smirking back at him. “So what are you guys doing? Playing video games like always?”</p><p>            “Were we supposed to be doing something else?” Jason repeated the same thing he had asked Bruce only a couple of days ago.</p><p>            “I don’t know, maybe something useful?” Kate suggested, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The second she did that, Kory, Rachel, Gar, Donna, Dawn and Hank instinctively leaned just a little closer, sensing an entertaining argument was about to break out. Dick on the other hand watched with a amusement, but also with a little caution. Kate, though better than Bruce when it came to actual conversations, still did share some of the same DNA as him.</p><p>            “Nothing useful that needs to be done.” Jason said, also crossing his arms.</p><p>            “Actually you guys could do some training.” Dick suggested, butting into their conversation before it had a chance to actually get into a fight. Kate had a tendency to be a bit confrontational at times and while he didn’t know Jason that well he had a feeling that if he felt judged or something, he would verbally attack. “I don’t think you guys have done much since we’ve been here.”</p><p>            “Come on.” Jason immediately whined. He already had Bruce on his case about training constantly and he really didn’t want Dick to start in on him too.</p><p>            “No complaining. Get going.” Dick told him.</p><p>            Hank and Dawn had already worked out, but not for long so they didn’t mind doing more. Gar liked training because he liked trying to surprise everyone with what animal he decided to shift into. Rachel didn’t mind it, it gave her a chance to practice more with her powers and Donna was used to training so they didn’t argue with what their leader said. Jason didn’t really want to entertain himself and this way, he could tell Bruce that he did train so he wouldn’t start his whole ‘training makes you stronger and faster and keeps you alive’ speech.</p><p>            As the others started making their way to the gym, Dick grabbed Kate’s arm to keep her where she was standing. He waited until he was sure the others were out of earshot before he asked, “Why are you really here?”</p><p>            “I can’t come see the boy who’s practically my nephew?” Kate questioned, sounding a little hurt by his insinuation. When Dick just stared at her, she let out a sigh and revealed, “Bruce called. He thinks that, considering what happened last night, someone should hang around the Manor.”</p><p>            “Because my team and I are so helpless.” Dick grumbled, clenching one fist while he brought the other up to his head. He could feel his slight headache caused by exhaustion suddenly start to feel like a full-blown migraine. All he needed was the nausea and the blurry vision to make it official.</p><p>            “You know Bruce. He gets really overprotective and paranoid. He’s just trying to keep you all safe. Especially you.” Kate jumped to try and pacify him. Dick however didn’t seem to calm down at all. If anything, he seemed to be getting more and more upset with each passing second.</p><p>            “Hey.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. When he looked back over at her, she added, “I know that I don’t know what all happened between you and Bruce, but it can’t have really warped your knowledge of them that badly.”</p><p>            “I don’t know.” Dick admitted. He was sure that deep, deep down he knew that the massive fight they had when he left Gotham was mostly just anger-fueled words that neither of them meant, but the hurt that they caused remained the same. And being angry helped hid that. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with that just yet.</p><p>            The redhead was silent for a moment, but before she could think of a response, Dick decided he was done with this conversation and said, “Come on. The others are waiting.”</p><p>            Kate didn’t want to let Dick drop the conversation. She wanted him to tell her exactly what happened with Bruce as the older man’s temperament had noticeably gotten worse after Dick left and nothing short of Wonder Woman’s lasso would pull the story out of him. Dick however usually didn’t have a problem opening up. At least, he didn’t use to. The fact that he wasn’t told her that whatever happened was bad. And she also knew that Dick could be as stubborn as Bruce at times. Apparently this was one of those times. So she simply followed him towards the gym.</p><p>            By the time they got there, Rachel, Gar and Jason were already on the mats, working on hand-to-hand combat. It quickly became obvious that Gar and Rachel were teaming up against Jason which made sense. From the information that Bruce gave her, those two didn’t have as much training as Jason did which made him the most difficult opponent in this match. Plus, Rachel and Gar had clearly trained together to the point that they were very familiar with each other’s moves and made a good team. It reminded her a bit of Dick and Barbara’s spars. However, it also pointed out some flaws from each other them.</p><p>            “Your form was a little sloppy.” Kate observed after a minute, causing all three of them to stop while the others looked over at her.</p><p>            “You know a lot about fighting?” Hank asked curiously.</p><p>            Turning her attention to the tall blonde, she said, “I should. I was in the military. So was my Dad.”</p><p>            “Then why don’t you show us some moves?” Hank suggested with a grin, crossing his arms before Dawn nudged him with her elbow.</p><p>            “Sure. If you guys think you can keep up.” Kate challenged as she took off her leather jacket and handed it to Dick.</p><p>            “Oh it’s on.” Hank told her as he moved over to the mats. Jason, Gar and Rachel all got out of the way, but Jason then shared a look with Dick. They were both well aware of Kate’s fighting skills. Hank was so going to lose.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            After soundly beating Hank, which was extremely amusing to everyone except the former football player, Kate went on to spar against Dawn, who also lost. Gar went up next and while he knew that he’d most likely win if he shifted into a tiger or another animal, he wanted to fight fair. And he also had no idea if Kate knew about their secret identities. He wasn’t going to risk that. Dick would not be happy with him if he did.</p><p>            Like he somewhat predicted, Kate beat him fairly easily and quickly. Maybe Dick was right about them needing to train more. Donna challenged Kate next and that spar was the most intense and entertaining one yet. Those who knew Donna could tell she was holding back a little, but Kate was able to keep up with her fairly well. That fight ended in a draw. Kate then asked Kory and Rachel if they wanted to try, but they said no. Instead, they asked if she could show them the moves she used to take down their teammates. Kate quickly agreed they ended up spending the entire afternoon learning different fighting skills. It was only until Alfred interrupted them for supper that they stopped.</p><p>            “Alfred, it was perfect as always.” Kate complimented the butler with a smile as he started cleaning up the dirty dishes on the table once they had finished the meal.</p><p>            “Thank you, Miss Katherine.” Alfred responded, a smile coming upon his face as well. Moving on to the others, they also complimented his cooking and thanked him for the meal. When he had grabbed the last plate, the sound of footsteps coming towards the room pulled everyone’s attention to the doorway in time to see Bruce enter the dining room.</p><p>            “Oh Bruce, you’re back. We’ve finished eating now but I saved you a plate.” Alfred informed him.</p><p>            “Thanks Alfred. Sorry I missed it. My meeting ran late.” Bruce apologized. “I’m going to get changed and be right down.”</p><p>            Seeing the time on the clock on the wall, Kate stood up as she said, “I should probably be going. It was nice to meet you all.”</p><p>            “Nice to meet you too.” Kory spoke for the whole group who nodded in agreement.</p><p>            Dick also stood up and came to her side. “I’ll walk you out.”</p><p>            As they made their way down the hall, Dick said, “I will say, that despite being ordered to come by Bruce, it was nice to see you.”</p><p>            “Oh come on Dick, you should know by now that Bruce has no control over me, or you. He just thinks he does.” Kate reminded him, little elbowing him.</p><p>            “He really should stop pretending though.” Dick responded.</p><p>            “Yes he should.” Kate agreed. Reaching the foyer, she turned to look at him and added, “And it was good to see you too.”</p><p>            “Will you be back to watch over us tomorrow?” Dick asked, doing his best to keep the sarcasm and anger out of his voice.</p><p>            “No. I think, Barbara is.” Kate replied, causing Dick to freeze in place. Seeing the stunned expression on his face, she explained, “He called her too.”</p><p>            “Are you kidding me?” Dick groaned, bringing his hand to his forehead.</p><p>            “I thought things were better between you two?”</p><p>            Lowering his hand from his face, he said, “They are, but the insinuation that Barbara, having less experience and training then me, needs to protect me,”</p><p>            “Is that really what you’re upset about?” Kate cut him off. She waited until he looked back at her before she added, “I know you Dickie. I know that you hate it when Bruce acts like you can’t take care of yourself, but he’s just trying to help.”</p><p>            “And how would you feel if he did that to you? And had gotten your ex-girlfriend involved when your current girlfriend is with you right now?” Dick questioned.</p><p>            “Okay that’s a fair point.” Kate conceded. She would definitely hate it if Bruce tried to do this to her. “But, if everything is fine, then what’s the problem? I mean, isn’t Dawn also your ex?”</p><p>            “That’s different. Dawn is… Dawn. And Barbara is Barbara.” Dick tried to explain, but completely failed when he couldn’t find the words to express his feelings.</p><p>            “Uh huh.” Kate responded, looking extremely amused.</p><p>            “Goodbye Kate.” Dick told her, opening the door for her.</p><p>            Still grinning, she walked outside and she said, “Bye Dick.”</p><p>            Watching the retreating figure of Kate Kane, Dick felt himself smile. As annoyed as he was that Bruce called her to keep an eye on them, he had truly missed her. She was almost like an aunt to him when he was growing up. Sure she wasn’t around all the time and she had moments when she was as emotionally distant as Bruce, but she was also fun and was one of the coolest people one the planet in his opinion. He liked hanging out with her again. It was one of the few… one of the many things he had missed during the last two years. Maybe, after everything was settled with Slade, he’d try harder to stay in touch with her.</p><p>            The sound of approaching footsteps had Dick looking over his shoulder to find Kory coming over. Coming to a stop beside him, she said, “I like her.”</p><p>            “Yeah Kate is cool.” Dick agreed, closing the door.</p><p>            Seeing a strange expression on her boyfriend’s face, she reached for his hand and asked, “Are you okay?”</p><p>            “Bruce called her, and someone else and asked them to come by the house to keep an eye out in case Slade shows back up.” Dick revealed, gripping her hand tightly in his.</p><p>            “Oh.”</p><p>            “I just, hate that he trusts us, trusts me so little.” He told her, leaning against the nearby wall.</p><p>            “I doubt it’s a matter of trust Dick.” Kory replied, moving so she was standing right beside him. “I mean, Slade has kidnapped you twice now, and I’m assuming a lot more happened, but as annoying as it is, it’s not because he doesn’t trust you. He’s just trying to protect you and us.”</p><p>            “Yeah I know. Somewhere deep down.” He admitted very reluctantly.</p><p>            Knowing that he was clearly ready to talk about something else, Kory said, “It’s still early. Want to do something? The kids mentioned a movie night.”</p><p>            “Yeah, that sounds good.” Dick responded, then let her lead him back down the hall towards the others.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Slade watched the gate of Wayne Manor through a pair of binoculars as the woman on the motorcycle drove away. He had been watching the place all day, waiting to see how the people inside would react to his failed attack last night. He would’ve preferred to be closer, had considered disguising himself as a reporter, but knew he’d quickly be recognized. One of the many issues that came with only having one eye. Another being that binoculars didn’t work as well as they would with two eyes.</p><p>            He wasn’t sure what he expected Dick and Bruce to do once he showed that he wasn’t scared to attack their house. Sneak away in the dead of the night. Hire a large security team. Get police protection. Slade doubted that they’d go so far as to get the Justice League involved. Everyone was well aware that Batman did not like metahumans or aliens in Gotham. Slade was ready for the other possibilities yet to his surprise, it seemed that Dick and Bruce were doing nothing.</p><p>            Except of course for the sudden arrival of a woman that he didn’t recognize. He wondered who she was and why she was there, but he wasn’t willing to leave to do some research and miss whatever might be happening inside the mansion. Since nothing happened however, he decided to risk heading back to his hotel and figuring out who the visitor was and get some rest. Depending on what he found, he might have to move up his plan.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case you were wondering, Hank was not hitting on Kate. He was just trying to rile her up. Also, I don’t know that much about Kate Kane. The little I do know, I learned from the Arrowverse crossover episodes as I have yet to actually watch Batwoman, and the animated DC movie Batman Bad Blood and the small amount of research I’ve done, so she might not be accurate. She’s not going to be a big character in this story but I wanted to include her. Hope you guys liked it! I will try to get the next chapter up next Friday but not making any promises. See you later!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Not-So-Ancient History</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Kory walked down the hall away from the dining room, where she had just finished breakfast, and towards the gym. It wasn’t really smart to work out right after eating but Gar, Rachel and Hank, and Jason as well, all wanted to practice the moves that Kate had taught them yesterday. They’d take it easy though. The last thing anyone wanted was to overwork themselves to the point that they threw up. She stopped in her tracks though when she saw Dick standing in front of the window, looking through the curtains.</p><p>            “You okay?” Kory asked with a concerned voice. She knew that he didn’t sleep well last night and he had seemed distracted all morning.</p><p>            “Yeah, I’m fine.” Dick replied absentmindedly, still staring outside.</p><p>            “You know, you never said who Bruce called.” Kory told him, taking a step closer to him.</p><p>            Looking at her over his shoulder, he asked, “What?”</p><p>            “You said that Bruce called Kate and someone else to check in on us. You never said who the other person is.” Kory explained. Dick sighed and lowered his head.</p><p>            “Barbara Gordon.”</p><p>            Kory furrowed her brows in thought. The name sounded familiar, but it only took her a few seconds to place it. “Barbara? That girl who was with you when we got here?”</p><p>            “Yeah.” Dick confirmed, not meeting her gaze.</p><p>            “So, she knows about you, Bruce and Jason? Nightwing, Batman and Robin?” Kory questioned, though she knew the answer had to be yes. She was in the Batcave when they arrived and no one seemed to care. If she didn’t know, Kory was sure that she wouldn’t have been there.</p><p>            “Yes she does.” Dick confirmed.</p><p>            “What did she do to find that out?” Kory asked, beginning to get frustrated that Dick was being so slow in giving answers.</p><p>            He finally looked over at her, but all he said was, “Um.”</p><p>            “Seriously?” You literally kept your mouth shut about Bruce being Batman until he brought us here. How did she find out?” Kory prodded.</p><p>            “It’s not my story to tell Kory.” He replied. “I didn’t tell her who you guys really are. And I wasn’t going to, but then you all showed up.”</p><p>            That made Kory pause. “You didn’t?”</p><p>            “No. It’s your lives and secret identities.” Dick explained, coming over to stand in front of her.</p><p>            Though she was still a little frustrated that he wasn’t telling her everything, something that had come up a lot ever since she and Dick had started dating, she understood why he wasn’t telling her about Barbara. “Thanks.”</p><p>            “Come on, let’s go make sure the kids aren’t doing something stupid.” Dick said, giving her a smile as he took her hand. Kory nodded and let him lead her down the hall to join the others.</p><p>            Gar, Jason and Rachel were on the mats, working on their hand-to-hand combat again. Dawn and Donna were watching them while Hank was in the middle of beating up a punching bag. Dick and Kory came to stand beside Wonder Girl and Dove, deciding to watch the kids. It became quite clear that they were focusing on the moves that Kate had taught them yesterday. They were a little rusty but considering they had only been working on them for a few hours, it was pretty good. However, those moves seemed to the only ones they were using. And they kept doing it until Rachel successfully swiped Gar’s legs out from under him.</p><p>            “You really like that move.” Dick observed as Rachel helped Gar to his feet. The two younger teenagers then looked over at him.</p><p>            “It’s a good move.” Rachel defended, not really sure why he seemed to be upset. Usually he praised them when they perfected something like this.</p><p>            “Yes it is, but you don’t want it to become predictable.” Dick advised with a serious voice.</p><p>Before anyone could respond, a voice coming from the door said, “Bad things happen when you become predictable.”</p><p>Everyone’s head immediately snapped to the side and found a redheaded woman standing in the doorway watching them. She was wearing a blue shirt with a black jacket and dark blue jeans. It made her blue eyes pop behind her black-framed glasses. Donna and Jason relaxed, easily recognizing her as did the others after a minute, but Dick tensed even more.</p><p>            “Hey. Barbara, right?” Rachel said, lowering the bo.</p><p>            “Right.” Barbara said with a polite smile. Walking over to them, she asked, “How’s it going?”</p><p>            “Fine but I’m starting to get bored.” Jason complained. That seemed to surprise the newcomer.</p><p>            “Really? I would’ve thought you guys would find a lot of stuff to do.” Barbara considered, now frowning.</p><p>            “Can’t go outside.” Hank told her and she nodded in understanding. She had seen the reporters outside when she arrived and in order to remain unseen, she had to sneak in around the back. She knew ever since the news broke about Dick’s return that the Wayne’s would once again be hounded by the paparazzi, but she didn’t realize that it meant that they couldn’t even leave the house. She probably should have though considering how paranoid and controlling Bruce tended to be.</p><p>            “There’s still a bunch of entertaining stuff you can do inside.” She pointed out, glancing over at Dick, who gave her a small grin.</p><p>            “You’ve been stuck in here before.” Kory observed, not at all missing the look her boyfriend and the other redhead just shared.</p><p>            “I wouldn’t say stuck, but yes.” Barbara responded, turning her focus to the alien. “I tended to favour the libraries.”</p><p>            “Reading is boring.” Hank said, inwardly groaning at the thought of having to look through a book. That was one of the perks of getting kicked out of college and never having to go back. He no longer had to read of study. He was never that academically smart. That was always Don’s strong suit. Even with the football scholarship that got him into college, if it wasn’t for his little brother’s help, he never would’ve had the grades he needed to accept it.</p><p>            “That’s insulting.” Jason argued. Though he may not look or act like it, he actually enjoyed read and school.</p><p>            “Don’t mind him. Hank hates having to use his brain.” Dick joined the conversation, his grin turning into a smirk even when Hank glared at him and said, “A**hole.”</p><p>            “Knock it off you two.” Dawn told them, not wanting to deal with an actual fight between the two. She had a feeling a fight was going to be coming soon, this many people in close quarters for so long without any kind of break caused a bunch of tension and sooner or later they were going to crack and she did not want it to be now.</p><p>            “I have to agree with Jason. I’m actually a teacher.” Barbara sided with the new Robin.</p><p>            “A teacher?” Kory asked with raised eyebrows.</p><p>            “Yup.” Barbara confirmed, then she addressed the others. “But reading isn’t really something that we can do as a group.”</p><p>            “So, what should we do then?” Donna wondered, causing Barbara to smirk.</p><p>            “Follow me.” Barbara said, then walked out of the room. As soon as the was gone, Jason looked over at Dick.</p><p>            “You two totally used to date, didn’t you?” Jason asked with a smirk. Dick instinctively tensed and turned around.</p><p>            “What gave you that idea?”</p><p>            “It’s pretty obvious.” Rachel told him. Dick glanced over at the others, who all nodded, except for Donna as she was fully aware of Dick and Barbara’s history. Rachel then took a few steps closer to the Titans’ leader and said, “So spill.”</p><p>            “It’s none of your business Rach.” Dick told her, then left the room before she could question him further.</p><p>            Knowing she wasn’t going to get any answers out of him, Rachel looked over at Donna who was standing only a few feet away. “Well?”</p><p>            “Why are you looking at me?” Donna questioned when she noticed that all three of the kids, and Hank, Donna and Kory were staring at her.</p><p>            “You’ve known Dick longer than any of us. Did they date, or not?” Hank asked with an expectant expression on his face.</p><p>            “Yes they did and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.” Donna answered then rushed after Dick. Hank, Dawn and Kory looked at each other, then followed their teammates while Rachel walked over to Gar and Jason.</p><p>            “So Dick has issues with his adoptive Dad, an assassin and now some drama with an ex, and yet they still won’t tell us anything.” Rachel stated. The two young men nodded, and Gar turned to Jason to ask, “Any chance you can get answers out of Bruce?”</p><p>            “Nope. I’ve already tried.” Jason answered. It was one of the first things he did when Bruce took him in and revealed that he was Batman. He wanted to know why Dick had left but the Dark Knight kept his mouth shut.</p><p>            “Dang it.” Gar muttered as he crossed his arms.</p><p>            Suddenly Dawn appeared back in the doorway and asked, “You guys coming or not?”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            That night, Dick laid on his bed, rereading his copy of <em>Robin Hood</em> as he waited for Kory to be finished in the bathroom. They had a fun day playing the piles of board games that Dick forgot Bruce had in one of the many closets. Despite the several months they had lived together in San Francisco, they didn’t just sit around and play games so it was a nice change of pace. Barbara had left almost as soon as Bruce arrived just like Kate did yesterday, giving them the evening to themselves. The kids decided they wanted to go swimming in the indoor pool so they did that once they had finished supper. Dick hardly swam though. After getting barely any sleep the last couple of nights, he was exhausted and was beyond ready to get some sleep.</p><p>            “So you and Barbara?” Kory said, looking pointedly at Dick as she walked into the room, causing Dick to look over at her. Though she didn’t elaborate at what she was really asking, he knew exactly what she wanted to know. Dick wondered if there was a way he could get out of talking about this but nothing came to mind. Plus, he knew Kory probably wouldn’t drop the matter. It was usually better to just tell her what she wanted to know.</p><p>            “I met Barbara when I moved to Gotham after my parents died. We went to the same school and quickly became best friends.” Dick informed here, not wanting to say anything more than that. Kory however gave him a look that made it clear that she knew there was more to the story.</p><p>            Dick sighed, and continued, “We started dating when we were 16. Dated for four years. We broke up about, three months before I moved to San Francisco and Donna and I started up the Titans.”</p><p>            Kory’s jaw dropped in shock. “Four years?”</p><p>            “Yeah.” Dick confirmed.</p><p>            The alien couldn’t do anything but stare at him for a minute. She didn’t know much about his past relationships. About his past at all really. It simply hadn’t come up and the very few times it somehow did, he never seemed to want to talk about. The only relationship she knew that Dick had had was the one with Dawn, which was only a few months. She knew that odds were that he had dated more than just their fellow teammate. How could he not, but to date one person for four years, especially in high school and college, which was apparently when humans dated multiple people and seemed to have a new significant other every other week seemed, insane. Who was this girl that Dick had dated for so long? Why did they break up after so much time together?</p><p>            “Why’d you guys break up?” She asked.</p><p>            “We just, grew apart. We were going in different directions and wanted different things.” Dick replied with a shrug, trying to be honest and trying to hint that he wanted to drop this conversation at the same time. Kory however, didn’t seem to get that hint.</p><p>            “So, was that night a couple days, when we first got here, the first time you’ve seen her since then?”</p><p>            Dick shook his head and answered, “No. I saw her after everything went down with Slade.”</p><p>            “And?” She prodded, wanting more information. Not just about Barbara now, but about Slade as well.</p><p>            “And nothing. We were friends before we dated and we’re friends now. Not as close as we used to be, but still friends.” Dick told her with a frustrated tone, finally looking over at her.</p><p>            “Good.” Kory said, then dropped her head to look down at her hands which were fiddling with the blanket.</p><p>            Sensing that she was upset, he leaned closer and put a hand over hers. “You know that what happened between us is over, right?”</p><p>            “Yeah, I do. It’s just, it’s a little frustrating that she seems to know more about what happened with Slade than I do and while that makes sense, I just,” Kory paused, taking a breath to calm herself before she finished, “I wish you would talk to me.”</p><p>            Dick lowered his head at that. He knew that sooner or later he’d have to tell the newest members of the Titans about what exactly happened between him and the assassin, as much as he hoped that he could avoid it. Now though, it seemed like it was time because not only could he not come up with any excuses to get out of it, Kory wasn’t going to drop it. Not now. She had a point and she deserved to know.</p><p>            “Slade was grooming his son, Grant, to take over his enterprise. So when he died, not only did Slade lose a son, he lost his heir. At first, he wanted revenge because he blamed us for it, he, later decided that I would make a could replacement.” Dick revealed, keeping his head down so he wouldn’t have to see Kory’s face.</p><p>            “He wanted you to become an assassin and take over for him?” Kory questioned with incredulous tone.</p><p>            Dick couldn’t help but scoff. “Crazy right?”</p><p>            “More like insane.” Kory corrected. Dick chuckled slightly but when he stopped, she saw a haunted expression come over his face. “So those two months he was trying to convince you?”</p><p>            “A nice way of putting it, but yes.” Dick answered. Kory didn’t say anything, but Dick knew from the silence that she was waiting for him to continue, so he did.</p><p>            “I first tried to escape, obviously, but then Slade revealed he managed to find the place we all lived. We called it Titans Tower. He planted a bomb there, so we could all die the same way his son did.”</p><p>            “Poetic.” Kory sarcastically commented. Then she realized what Dick was implying. “Oh, he used that to…”</p><p>            “Force me to do what he wanted. I didn’t want to but, I wasn’t going to do something that would lead to the death of my friends.” He responded, finally looking up at her. His tone of voice was determined and defensive but his expressive brown eyes that he usually kept so guarded where now open, and seemed to be pleading with her. As though he was begging her not be upset with him for whatever he did when he was with Slade.</p><p>            Kory nodded, silently telling him that she didn’t blame him or was upset in any way, then asked, “What about the others?”</p><p>            “They were beyond confused and hurt that I seemed to join Slade, but eventually, they put together the hints that I dropped whenever I saw them and realized what was going on. They got out of the Tower and came to find me. However, Slade also realized what I did.” Dick revealed, closing his eyes, trying to keep those particular memories at bay. “He wasn’t happy with me.”</p><p>            “And?” Kory gently pushed for more information.</p><p>            “And the rest you know. They came to my rescue, but Garth died.” Dick dropped his gaze at the mention of his friend. “I woke up about a week after his funeral and stayed in Gotham to recover and the Titans broke up. So did Dawn and I.”</p><p>            “I keep forgetting you two were a couple.” Kory mumbled, somewhat trying to change the focus at the sight of pain in his eyes. However, it didn’t work.</p><p>            This time, she was the one who leaned closer and put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry Dick.”</p><p>            “Not your fault.” Dick replied with a shrug.</p><p>            “It’s not yours either. And we will get him.” She assured him. Dick looked over at her, giving her small smile and said, “I love you.”</p><p>            “I love you too.” Kory told him, smiling in return. He then gave her a quick peck on the lips and got comfortable in the bed. Kory quickly did the same and cuddled close to her boyfriend.</p><p>            For the first time since they arrived at the Manor, Dick fell asleep before she did. Kory always liked watching him sleep. He looked younger, more peaceful when he was sleeping. When he was awake, he always seemed so, burdened. He was definitely more light-hearted and cheerful since she first met him, but that weighed down and constant guilt he seemed to be feeling never truly left. It took her a few months to realize what it was, he was very good at misdirection whenever she tried, but she had yet to figure out why. Now she had some answers, but not enough. She knew there was more going on and she didn’t really care what it took, she would find out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, due to the fact that there are so many different comic lines and universes, along with the difficulty of me finding them, I’m not really sure why Dick and Barbara broke up. I think I had heard that Barbara kind of cheated on Dick with Luke, and I do know that in one ‘verse, she hooked up with Bruce which I find super disturbing, but I don’t know for sure. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to go more into Dick and Barbara’s past relationship or not, but, it’s probably not going to follow the comics. Also, apparently in the show, Barbara is actually the Commissioner in Gotham, but I don’t know how I feel about that yet. In the Birds of Prey tv show, and I think in the comics, she’s actually a teacher and I like that better, so I’m keeping her as a teacher.  Hope you liked this chapter! Next one will be more action packed and will focus more on the kids because they’ve been a bit neglected. See you all then!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Wrong Place, Wrong Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            <em>Dick barely bit back a scream as Slade kicked him in the ribs again. After two months of being trapped with the monster, his pain tolerance, which was already pretty high, had grown. He had gotten used to being beat up by the man. He had tried to fight back, to defend himself like always, but the first thing Slade did this time was slam his sheathed sword against his ankle hard enough to dislocate it. And since Dick didn’t see it coming, he wasn’t able to block it. Slade then quickly grabbed his left arm and not only did he break it, he dislocated it and threw him to the ground where he had been since.</em></p><p>
  <em>            Suddenly, Dick felt Slade’s fist slam into his head. That was something he had also gotten used to during the last two months. Still he didn’t scream. He hadn’t let himself scream in a while and he wasn’t going to start now. It hurt, but didn’t knock him out. Dick wished it did. The assassin was beyond furious and the vigilante knew he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Someone must’ve been listening to him because with the next punch, everything went black.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Next thing he was aware of, he was lying on the ground, outside the old compound that Slade had made his lair. Looking up, Dick saw Dawn staring down at him. She was wearing her Dove uniform and mask. Seeing that he was staring at her, she smiled and said, “It’s okay Dick. It’s okay. We’re getting you out of here.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Before Dick could respond, he heard Donna shout, “Aqualad! Look out!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Dick struggled to lift his head, wondering what was going on. Several feet ahead he saw Garth running towards them. Then, a gun started firing and Garth fell.</em>
</p><p>            “AH!” Dick screamed as he shot up in bed, the covers falling off of him. The air was freezing cold against his sweat-soaked skin which also made his hair stick to his face. Leaning forward, he put his elbows on his knees and wiped ran a hand over his face as he tried to control his breathing.</p><p>            “Dick?” He heard Kory’s groggy voice ask. He then felt the mattress move a little as Kory shifted. As her hand started rubbing his back, she asked, “You okay? What’s wrong?”</p><p>            “Nothing. Just a bad dream. I’m fine.” Dick answered, shaking his head slightly in an attempt to clear his brain.</p><p>            Not wanting to talk about it, which Kory was most likely going to try to get him to do, he glanced over at the clock. 6:33 am. Still a little early to others, but not for him. He was used to getting up early. So he quickly stood and went to grab a clean shirt and pants and started to change. He could feel Kory watching him, but thankfully, she stayed didn’t say anything. She would probably ask about it later, but for now, they had work to do.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Jason bit his lip concentration as he tapped the buttons on the controller, not that it really helped. He was definitely going to lose this round of his zombie game to Gar. When the Titans came to the Manor a few days ago, he and Gar quickly bonded over their love of video games. That was why they had spent so much time playing them. Before though, he pretty much always won. But today, Gar was soundly kicking his butt and he didn’t like it one bit. Like most people, he liked being the victorious one.</p><p>            “Yes! In your face!” Gar cheered when his player defeated Jason’s.</p><p>            “Congrats.” Jason mumbled, glaring at the <em>Game Over</em> flashing on the screen.</p><p>            Rachel looked up at him from her book that she was reading and asked, “You that sore of a loser?”</p><p>            “No.” Jason instinctively denied. But then he added, “Well, a bit, but, I’m just bored. I’m sick and tired of being stuck in this house.”</p><p>            “We could watch a movie or something.” Gar suggested. As much as he liked playing video games, he had to admit that he was getting tired of not having anything else to do.</p><p>            “No, I want to get out.” Jason responded. It only took a few seconds for Rachel and Gar to realize what he was talking about.</p><p>            “We can’t.” Rachel objected, wondering if she needed to remind him of what Bruce and Dick had told them.</p><p>            Looking over at her, the side of his mouth tilted up as he asked, “Or can we?”</p><p>            “Jason,” Rachel started, but Jason quickly cut her off.</p><p>            “Oh come on. Dick is down in the Cave searching for Slade, again. Kory’s with him. Bruce is at work, Donna is in her room, Hank and Dawn are, who knows where, and Alfred is busy in the kitchen. No one is going to notice if we leave for a couple of hours.”</p><p>            Rachel stared at him. She knew that Jason was right, the others were preoccupied and probably wouldn’t notice them, but they weren’t supposed to leave the house. Though they had dwindled down, there were still paparazzi outside and no one wanted to deal with that. And with Slade clearly still in town, it simply wasn’t safe. She looked over at Gar, since he had been suspiciously silent, and found that he was already looking at her with a sheepish expression on his face.</p><p>            “Gar?”</p><p>            “It would be nice to get some fresh air.” Gar said somewhat sheepishly, his shoulders rising up to his ears.</p><p>            “Well then open a window.” She told him, throwing her magazine on the couch beside her.</p><p>            “Come on Rach, don’t be stick in the mud.” Jason responded with a slight groan at her attitude. “It’ll be fun.”</p><p>            Again, Rachel stared at the two of them in silence as she thought. After the whole asylum incident, she and Gar did their best to listen to Dick. He was a trained vigilante after all. He knew what he was doing. Of course, there were times they would go against orders which they always got in trouble for, but never something like this. Dick and Bruce had been very serious when they said they shouldn’t leave the Manor. However, it would be nice to get out and it wasn’t like they were going out in their superhero outfits to fight crime or hunt Slade.</p><p>            “Do you even have a way out of here without being seen?” Rachel wondered. There was no point of considering sneaking out if Jason had no way of getting out of the house.</p><p>            “Duh.” He said, sounding annoyed that she felt she had to ask. Granted they didn’t know each that well, but he would’ve thought they knew him well enough to know he had a way out of the house without anyone noticing.</p><p>            “Okay, but just for two hours at most.” Rachel agreed with a sigh, already knowing she was going to regret this later.</p><p>            Gar jumped up from his seat in excitement and cheered. “Sweet! Let’s go.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Two hours later, Jason, Gar and Rachel walked down the street, completely ignored by the other people around them. When they first left, Rachel asked if Jason would be recognized like Dick. Knowing it was a possibility, he wore a baggy sweater with the hood up over his head. Neither Gar nor Rachel thought it would work but they were surprised. True when Jason went to buy something the salespeople seemed to have realized who he was, but they didn’t say or do anything. And the people who passed them on the street didn’t seem to recognize him at all.</p><p>            Once they realized that, the three started to relax. It seemed that they were actually getting away with sneaking out. For the first half hour, Rachel constantly checked her cell phone, waiting for a text or call from Dick or Kory or Donna or Dawn or Hank, asking where they were. None ever came though so she stopped. Jason was right. They were all too busy to notice them missing. However, the more time that passed, the more worried and uneasy Rachel.</p><p>            “Okay, we really should be getting back to the Manor.” Rachel said as she checked her phone. She didn’t see any missed text messages or phone calls, but she did see the time.</p><p>            Jason leaned over her shoulder to check the time himself, then said, “Come on. We have another hour at least until Bruce gets off work. And that’s if he doesn’t decide to stay late.”</p><p>            “Maybe, but Kory, or Donna, or Dick, or Hank, or Dawn are still there. So’s Alfred. They could easily notice us missing.” Rachel pointed out, putting her phone back in her jacket pocket.</p><p>            “If they had, they would’ve called us or something. Calm down.” Jason told her. Gar however, gave her a slightly worried look.</p><p>He slowed down a little, letting Jason get ahead of them and quietly asked, “Is something wrong?”</p><p>            “I don’t know. I just have a really bad feeling.” Rachel answered. Gar was fully aware of her powers and strange feelings that she would get. They usually always warned about something and happened enough that everyone on the team knew to take it seriously. If she was saying that something felt wrong, something was wrong.</p><p>            “Jason, maybe we should go back.” Gar said as he sped up a little to catch up to the older teenager.</p><p>            “Seriously?” Jason questioned, clearly skeptical.</p><p>            “We still don’t know much about Rachel’s powers, but if she says she has a bad feeling, something is wrong.” Gar informed him with a serious tone.</p><p>            Jason let out a groan, but nodded and said, “Alright.”</p><p>            Jason did not really want to go back home just yet. He knew that there was still a slight chance that their absence had been noticed and if it had, then they were all in trouble. Mostly him though as it was his idea and he was the one who showed them the way. It would also mean they’d be watched closer and would never be able to sneak out again until Slade was gone. It made Jason want to stay out longer and savour the sweet taste of freedom. But the longer they stayed, the more likely it was that someone would notice they were gone so they had to get back and soon.</p><p>            Rachel frowned as Jason started leading them back to the Manor. It wasn’t the way they had come. She knew of course that there were more ways around the city and to Bruce’s home, but the uneasy feeling in her gut was getting worse. She wanted to get back, now. Then, Jason turned down a street that was completely empty except for construction equipment. The roads we obviously being fixed but there was no one around. Their shift must’ve been over.</p><p>            Each step she took as she and Gar continued following Jason, that feeling got even worse, turning to fear and dread. Something bad was going to happen. Rachel reached out to grab Gar’s hand when she saw someone slowly creeping his way towards the older teenager. A man dressed in black and orange armour, Deathstroke.</p><p>            “Jason!” Rachel yelled right as the man slammed something against Jason’s head, causing him to fall to the ground.</p><p>            The shapeshifter rushed at the criminal, but before he reached him, Deathstroke lifted something that looked like a tiny handgun and fired. Gar felt something hit his neck and everything went dark.</p><p>            “Gar!” Rachel shouted as she watched Gar tumble to the pavement. Then she noticed that Deathstroke was now pointing the weapon at her. She didn’t even hear a gunshot before she felt something hit her shoulder.</p><p>            Slade Wilson stood quietly as the girl also succumbed to the dart that he had laced with a strong sedative. It was far easier to kidnap someone when they were drugged and out cold. And knowing that these two members of the Titans had superpowers, he didn’t want to risk a fight. Needing to make sure they were completely out for the count, he crouched down and checked the green-haired boy. He was out. Slade then walked over to the girl, unaware that the other boy was getting back up.</p><p>            “Get away from them!” Jason yelled as he charged the man. Deathstroke however, easily sidestepped out of the way and grabbed the young hero’s arms. As Jason struggled to break free from his hold, the criminal threw him against the wall of the building, making him fall to the ground. Before he could even try to get back up, Deathstroke slammed his foot as hard as he could down on Jason’s ankle, causing something inside to break with a loud crack.</p><p>            Jason screamed as agony spread out through his leg and he almost blacked out. Soon though, he could feel the pain start to numb a little as his body started to go into shock and his vision started to come back. Just in time to see Deathstroke lean over him.</p><p>            “Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you. I need you to deliver a message for me.” Deathstroke told him. Jason couldn’t see his face but he had the feeling that the man was smiling and he didn’t like it one bit.</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            After finally finishing selecting the photos to send to the magazine that had contacted her a couple of weeks ago, Donna decided to look and see what the others were up to. She knew that Bruce was still at work, that Dick and Kory were probably still downstairs and that Hank and Dawn were probably just having some alone time. However, she hadn’t seen the kids at all yet. She figured they were in the game room, but it was completely empty.</p><p>            “Has anyone seen the kids?” Donna wondered as she came down into the living room where Dick, Kory, Hank and Dawn all were.</p><p>            “Not since this morning. I was downstairs all day.” Dick answered, looking over at her.</p><p>            “So was I.” Kory chimed in. “I thought you were keeping an eye on them.”</p><p>            “I had work to do. I thought Hank and Dawn were watching them.” Donna replied, gesturing to the two blondes on the loveseat.</p><p>            “They’re teenagers, not toddlers.” Hank defended himself. Teenagers are able to entertain themselves and to a degree, take care of themselves. They didn’t need to be watched 24/7, not that it surprised him that Dick and Kory seemed to think otherwise. They were extremely protective of Rachel and Gar.</p><p>            “But they are troublemakers.” Dick told them, remembering all the times Rachel or Gar or both went off on their own and got into danger. Specifically, the asylum.</p><p>            “Don’t worry Dick. Alfred probably knows where they are.” Dawn tried to calm. While she had never met the butler until she and the others came to the Manor, she had heard about him from Dick. According to him, the man knew everything that happened in the house. If true, he would’ve taken care of the teenagers.</p><p>            “Alfred went shopping hours ago.” Donna revealed, remembering seeing the elderly man leave after lunch.</p><p>            Dick’s face paled as he added, “And Bruce is at work.”</p><p>            The adults stared at each other for five seconds before Dick yelled, “KIDS!”</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Our Choices Seal Our Fate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And I’m back! So, quick announcement. Not only do I have a small story that takes place after season 2 kind of revolving around Dick and Hank’s friendship coming up, I have also decided to do another AU of the last half of season 2. Yes, I know I’ve already done two of them, but I got ideas and scenes stuck in my head and they won’t leave! This story, will include the Watchtower, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Roy Harper and Wally West. Not sure when I will start posting it as I’m working on some other stories at the moment, so stay tuned! Chapter title is from a line in the song Broken Crown by Mumford and Sons. I hope you all like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Jason woke to a pounding ache in the back of his head. He didn’t know why though. Must’ve been a patrol that went wrong. It didn’t happen very often but it wasn’t impossible. Occasionally the criminals that he and Batman went after would try to spring a trap on them or would get the drop on them. Jason couldn’t remember for sure though. Opening his eyes, he quickly realized that he was in the Batcave’s medbay and saw Bruce sitting in a chair beside him, wearing in his Batman suit with the cowl pushed back.</p><p>            “Jason? You awake?” Bruce asked when he saw the teenager staring at him.</p><p>            “Yeah.” Jason croaked, his throat feeling a little dry. Bruce leaned forward and helped him sit up, which caused the throbbing in his head to increase a little. But then Bruce handed him a cup of water and two Aspirins that Jason downed.</p><p>            Taking the now empty cup back, Bruce questioned, “Do you remember what happened?”</p><p>            “I was out with Rachel and Gar. Then…” Jason started, now remembering that they had snuck out.</p><p>It wasn’t until he saw Dick, dressed in his Nightwing suit though without the mask, Kory, Hank, Dawn and Donna standing nearby watching him, but no Rachel or Gar that he recalled what happened and said, “Deathstroke. He attacked us.”</p><p>            “Where’s Rachel and Gar?” Jason then asked, looking back over at Bruce.</p><p>            “We don’t know. Deathstroke most likely took them.” Bruce answered, keeping his voice calm though Jason could see the anger and disappointment in his eyes. Before Jason could respond though, Dick asked, “What were you three doing out in the city?”</p><p>            “Nothing. We were just wandering around, doing a little shopping. We were stick of being inside all the time. We just wanted some air.” Jason explained, leaning back a little. He didn’t really think that Dick would do anything, but he did not like the look of rage in his eyes. He supposed it made sense. He didn’t know Dick very well, but he had seen enough to know that he was very protective of the kids under his watch. And Jason had inadvertently led them into danger and allowed them to be captured.</p><p>            “Jason, when I give you an order, I expect that order to be obeyed. What you all did was dangerous, reckless and stupid.” Bruce told him, slipping into his ‘Batman’ voice.</p><p>            “I’m sorry.” Jason apologized with a regret-filled tone as he lowered his head. “I didn’t think Slade would be bold enough to attack us in board daylight.”</p><p>            “Why didn’t Slade take you with Rachel and Gar?” Hank wondered, taking a step closer to the bed.</p><p>            “He said he wanted me to give Dick a message.” Jason revealed, looking over at the first Robin as he went to grab the note from his pants pocket where Slade had put it before he knocked him out. However, he was surprised when he didn’t find it. He was even more surprised when he saw Dick pull it from his belt.</p><p>            “This?” Dick questioned, holding it up for Jason, and everyone else to see. Stunned, Jason nodded while everyone except for Bruce stared at him.</p><p>            When Bruce arrived home from work, only minutes after the Titans realized the kids were gone, he quickly figured out where Jason was due to the tracker he had put in him. He then changed into his Batman suit so he could better fight Slade while Dick put on his Nightwing uniform. They had a brief argument about it, but Dick wasn’t budging this time. By the time they got to the place the tracker had led them, they found Jason unconscious on the ground with the note in his hand. There was no sign of the others.</p><p>            “What does it say?” Kory asked as she strode over to her boyfriend’s side. Wordlessly, Dick handed her the note so she could read it herself. Immediately, Hank, Dawn and Donna all surrounded her so they could also read it.</p><p>            Bruce and Dick had both read the note when they found Jason. All it said was ‘<em>If you want to see the kids again, come and meet me’</em>. Dick quickly confirmed that it was Slade’s writing but it was strange that the criminal didn’t put a meeting address on it. Bruce asked if Dick could think of any place where Slade would want to meet, but Dick told him no. Best they could figure out, Slade was keeping an eye on them and all Dick had to do was go out in public.</p><p>            “You’re not seriously considering doing this, are you?” Donna demanded, looking over at Dick. Seeing the expression on his face, she let out a frustrated sigh and said, “Right, stupid question. Well, you can’t.”</p><p>            “Donna,” Dick started but that was all he could get out before she interrupted him.</p><p>            “No Dick. You listen to me.” The harshness in Donna’s voice had everyone staring at her in surprise, not that she noticed. Her eyes were solely on Dick. “If you think that we are letting you anywhere near that monster, you are insane. He’s already killed Garth and already put you through h*ll. That’s not happening again.”</p><p>            Dick wasn’t at all surprised by Donna’s reaction. They had known each other since they were kids, they were family. She called him her little brother and she was his big sister. When Slade had kidnapped him and forced him to work for him, she was the one who was the most hurt and confused, along with Dawn. And then, Slade killed her boyfriend and nearly killed Dick. She was probably the one who hated the assassin the most, after Dick of course. As much as Dick didn’t want to be anywhere Slade, he would do whatever it took to get Rachel and Gar back, and keep his loved ones safe.</p><p>            “I remember that Donna, but I’m not just going to sit around when Slade is doing who knows what to Rachel and Gar!” Dick protested, taking a step closer to her.</p><p>            Donna, and the others looked like they were going to continue arguing with him, but Bruce suddenly stepped into the space between them and said, “I agree with Donna.”</p><p>            “Of course you do.” Dick responded, throwing his hands up in the air and turning around to take a few steps away from the billionaire.</p><p>            “Dick, just try to calm down.” Bruce told him as he started to approach the police detective, but Dick quickly spun around and yelled, “Stop telling me what to do!”</p><p>            “Dick.” Kory called out, quickly crossing the distance that he had put between them. As soon as she reached him, she put a hand on his arm, trying to calm him. Dick took a deep breath, visibly trying to regain control, then shot a very small, but appreciative smile. The short and quiet moment was ruined however when Bruce spoke up again.</p><p>            “I know you want to help your friends Dick, but walking right into a trap is only going to put you in danger as well. And even if you did, there’s no guarantee that Slade is going to let them go. He could use them as constant leverage, like he did before.” Bruce pointed out.</p><p>            “What am I supposed to do? I can’t just sit here!” Dick told him, his loud voice echoing off the cave walls.</p><p>             “Yes you can and you will.” Bruce ordered firmly, causing Dick to glare at him. “We will figure out where Slade has taken Rachel and Gar and rescue them. Then we will take down Slade.”</p><p>            “Because we’ve had so much luck finding him.” Dick shot back sarcastically before storming off to the opposite end of the Cave, running a hand threw his hair.</p><p>            “Dick.” Donna called out, moving to follow after him, but Bruce grabbed her arm and pulled her back.</p><p>            “Let him calm down. We’ve got work to do.” Dick told her, then looked back at over Jason. “You stay and rest. I don’t want you on that ankle at all.”</p><p>            “I’m really sorry Bruce.” Jason apologized with a guilt-filled voice.</p><p>            “I know Jaylad. Now get some sleep.” Bruce responded, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. Nodding, Jason leaned back on the pillows and closed his eyes. He opened them though when he felt Bruce ruffle his hair a little before he walked away.</p><p>            Shifting a little to get more comfortable, Jason watched as Bruce walked over to the others and the computer. He wanted to help. Wanted to fix his mistake, but he told Bruce everything he remembered and with his broken ankle, he was helpless to do anything but rest. So he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, vowing to somehow make it up to Bruce and Dick, and Rachel and Gar when they were found.</p><p>            As everyone went over to the Dark Knight, wanting to know what the plan was, Kory walked over to her boyfriend who was far away enough that he was half hidden in the shadows. Reaching out to him, she said, “Dick,”</p><p>            “I don’t want to talk Kory.” He quickly cut her off, not even looking at her. Kory tried not feel hurt, knowing that he was struggling with past trauma and guilt and frustration. Deciding that giving him a moment to calm down and think clearly was probably best, she nodded and headed over where the others were gathering near Bruce’s large computer.</p><p>            As she reached them, she heard Hank say, “I agree with Dick.”</p><p>            “You think he should go meet with Slade?” Donna questioned with an incredulous tone of voice. Kory and Dawn also looked at him with shocked expressions. After everything that had happened, they found it hard to believe that Hank thought Dick should do what Slade wanted.</p><p>            “No. I mean about, just sitting around. We should be doing something.” Hank quickly explained when he realized what they thought he meant.</p><p>            “We will. As soon as we have a plan.” Dawn assured him.</p><p>            Hank nodded, then looked over at Bruce and asked, “Have you found anything yet?”</p><p>            Dick took a few deep breaths to control himself, then slowly turned back around look at everyone, but they were no longer watching him. They had gone to the computer with Bruce, no doubt wanting to help find their missing teammates. He knew that it wouldn’t last long. Bruce hated having people hovering around him while he worked and the others would soon get impatient and bored with nothing to do. So if he was going to leave, he had to do it now when they were distracted.</p><p>            He had made up his mind the second he read the note. Whatever Bruce, Donna, Kory, Hank or Dawn said or seemed to think, it wasn’t up to them. Slade left the note for Dick, which made it Dick’s decision and his alone. And there was no way he was going to let Rachel and Gar be trapped in Slade’s hands for any longer than necessary. They were his kids and he would do whatever it took to protect them.</p><p>            “Sorry guys.” He whispered, then silently made his way to the table where he left his mask, then over where Bruce kept his many motorcycles. He grabbed the keys and, not wanting to be seen or heard, walked it out of the Cave until he was sure he was out of the hearing zone. Then, he got on and rode off.</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Allies and Enemies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yay! I got a chapter done in only a week! Not sure if I’ll be able to do it again for next week because I’m now working on more stories, but we’ll see. However I do have good news! The first chapter of my new Titans story which is another take on how the last half of season 2 could’ve ended, called A Titan’s Heart, will be up tomorrow! Other than that, I hope you guys like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Over an hour later, Bruce still hadn’t figured out where Slade had taken Rachel and Gar. Since Dick had taken over the search for Deathstroke today, he had to go over everything that Dick had found. Unfortunately, that wasn’t much. The police detective was right about Slade being extremely difficult to find. Part of him wished that Dick would come over and help, but he had enough people hovering around him right now. If they kept this up, he’d order them up to the Manor or something.</p><p>            “We’re getting nowhere.” Hank said in frustration, walking away from the computer.</p><p>            “And complaining about it will change it?” Bruce questioned, not bothering to look over at him. He was actually a little glad to have the man put of his personal space. He was extremely annoying. He didn’t understand</p><p>            “Hey Dick? Do you have any ideas of where Slade might be hiding?” Dawn asked, thinking that maybe since he had spent two months with the assassin, he would know how he thinks. However, there was no answer. Immediately, everyone looked around the Cave, even Bruce, but found that the Titans’ leader was nowhere in sight.</p><p>            “Dick?” Kory called out, walking over to where she last saw her boyfriend. Upon seeing that he wasn’t there, she looked back at the others with a worried expression on her face.</p><p>            “Dick!” Donna shouted as she started running around the Cave, searching for her best friend.</p><p>            Hank, Dawn and Kory immediately joined Donna in her search. Bruce however quickly pulled up the security footage in the Cave from the last hour. From that, he was able to see Dick put on his mask and head in the direction of the vehicles. He tried to find out what he did next, but Dick knew where the cameras were and how to avoid them. Bruce then walked over to the vehicles and saw that the Batmobile was still there, but one of his motorcycles was gone. Dick must’ve taken it, probably walked out with it so they wouldn’t hear him. At times like this, Bruce wondered if he trained Dick too well.</p><p>            “He’s not here.” Dawn said as they all made their way back to the center of the giant Cave.</p><p>            “And one of my bikes is gone.” Bruce reported, barely biting back the anger filling his entire body. He had told Dick to stay put and he didn’t listen. It wasn’t surprising, Dick disobeyed him thousands of times, both as Robin and as his adopted son. While he had to admit that there were some orders that he had given that didn’t make sense and were definitely given in order to keep the younger man safe even though they weren’t needed, it still infuriated him. And he should’ve known that Dick wouldn’t listen when there were two kids in danger. He was also so reckless with his own safety if there was someone in danger. Especially someone he cared about.</p><p>            “Are we actually surprised?” Kory questioned as she crossed her arms. She may not have been on earth that long, and she may not have known Dick as long as the others, but she knew him enough to know that if Rachel and Gar were in danger, if anyone he loved was in danger, he’d do anything he could to save and protect them. Even if it meant meeting the assassin that clearly put him through h*ll.</p><p>            Bruce glared at her, then looked back at the whole group and said, “I’ll find him.”</p><p>            Without waiting for a response, he strode back over to the computer and went straight to work.</p><p>            “You know, for whatever issues Dick and Bruce have, it’s pretty obvious that he cares about him.” Kory quietly observed, not wanting the older man to hear her.</p><p>            “What even happened between the two of them?” Dawn wondered, staring at Bruce’s back.</p><p>            “I don’t know. He never said anything to me.” Donna responded, also looking over at the man who raised her best friend.</p><p>            “Or me.” Kory chimed in. Donna continued staring, but then she noticed Alfred, apparently doing some cleaning even though the place already looked extremely neat and tidy.</p><p>            “Alfred?” Donna quietly called out. The butler looked over and made his way over to the Titans. As soon as he reached them, Donna asked, “You know what happened between Dick and Bruce, don’t you?”</p><p>            Alfred nodded, but didn’t answer which caused Dawn to ask, “Will you tell us?”</p><p>            “It is not my business.” Alfred responded before moving to walk away. Donna however quickly grabbed the British man’s arm and gently pulled him back.</p><p>            “Please Alfred?”</p><p>            Alfred sighed and turned his gaze back over at Bruce. Seeing that his entire focus was on searching for his missing son and the two missing teenagers, he looked back at the others and said, “There were multiple issues going on, not just one.”</p><p>            “And?” Donna prodded when Alfred didn’t continue.</p><p>            “In the end though, it boiled down to Master Bruce’s inability to express himself, his overprotective nature, and at the time, Master Richard’s anger.” Alfred explained. He felt bad enough that he was telling them the private conversation that happened between his surrogate son and grandson. He didn’t want to go into it too much. They still had the right to their privacy.</p><p>            “You’re not going to give any more details?” Hank complained with an annoyed tone. It was clear that the butler knew more than he was saying and his secrecy was beyond frustrating. He was beginning to wonder if Dick and Bruce both picked that up from the elderly man.</p><p>            “It’s not my place.” Alfred responded, then walked away before anyone could stop him.</p><p>            Donna stared at Alfred, then back at Bruce. Out of the remaining members of the group, she was probably the one who knew them the best, but that didn’t mean she knew them like she knew Dick. Pretty much everything she knew about them, she knew from Dick. Whenever they hung out when they kids, they’d spend hours talking. A lot of it ended up being about their respective parents/mentors. No matter what, they could always talk to each other. And that was what was so frustrating because this time, Dick wasn’t telling her. And neither was Alfred and she knew that Bruce would never, ever tell.</p><p>            “What do we do now?” Hank wondered. He had never been a patient person and at this point, he beyond sick and tired of standing around doing nothing when Rachel, Gar and now Dick were in trouble. Dawn opened her mouth to answer, but snapped it shut when the sound of two engines coming straight for them. They looked over to the tunnel where people would drive in and out of the Cave to see two motorcycles driving by women, both redheads, wearing black suits with capes coming to a stop near the Batmobile.</p><p>            “Who’s that?” Dawn asked, her gaze focusing on Donna when she saw that she was the only one who didn’t look that confused. When the two women got off their respective motorcycles though, they all saw their suits were nearly identical to Batman’s, except instead of a dark black bat on the chest, one of the women had a yellow bat and the other had a red one.</p><p>            “Batgirl? Batwoman?” Hank said, recognizing the vigilantes. The women looked at them, then they both pushed back their masks to reveal their faces.</p><p>            “Kate? Barbara?” Dawn immediately realized who they were.</p><p>            “This answers so many questions.” Kory commented quietly, making the Kate and Barbara smirk.</p><p>            “What are you doing here?” Donna asked, having already known that Barbara was Batgirl and wasn’t all that shocked that Kate was Batwoman.</p><p>            “Bruce called.” Kate explained, then walked over to Bruce. Everyone else immediately followed.</p><p>            “I thought you don’t like asking for help.” Donna said to Bruce. “As in, would be on your deathbed before you actually do.”</p><p>            “I do hate it, but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of it.” Bruce replied, then added as an afterthought, “And that rule usually only applies to the Justice League.”</p><p>            “Where’s Dick?” Barbara suddenly asked, seeing that her ex-boyfriend was missing.</p><p>            “Went off on his own to find Slade.” Hank informed her.</p><p>            “What?” Barbara nearly shouted.</p><p>            “Slade left this for Dick.” Kory told her, handing her the note. Barbara took it and quickly skimmed through the short message. She then squeezed it in her hand and angrily whispered, “I’m going to kill him.”</p><p>            “Get in line.” Kory said. Barbara looked over at, slightly surprised by the alien’s reaction. Dick could easily charm his way into and out of anything and everything. She was glad that he was dating a girl who wouldn’t let him do that with her and would apparently keep him from being an idiot.</p><p>            “Found it.” Bruce suddenly announced, regaining everyone’s attention.</p><p>            “What?” Donna asked, taking a step closer to the man.</p><p>            “Where Slade is most likely keeping Rachel and Gar.” Bruce answered. Pulling up a map, he pointed to three different spots as he said, “These three locations.”</p><p>            “You can’t narrow it down any more than that?” Kate questioned, seeing that three spots were a fair distance away from each other.</p><p>            “Between all of you, I’m assuming you can hit all of them.” Bruce told them, standing up from his chair and putting his cowl back on over his face.</p><p>            “What about you?” Kory asked as Bruce walked away from them and towards the Batmobile.</p><p>            “I’m going after Dick.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Swinging from building to building, Dick made his way to the outskirts of down town Gotham, where crime was the worst. He didn’t know for sure if that Slade was there, but it was the only idea he had of the man’s whereabouts. During his two months as Slade’s prisoner, he learned some valuable things about him. One, that as an assassin for hire, he was extremely wealthy. It was actually kind of disgusting to the vigilante how much people would pay to kill someone. And with that money, Slade would be able to afford the most expensive hotels, apartments and houses to hide out in, using an alias of course.</p><p>            Two, he always learned the lay of the land before he went anywhere so he knew where to go and where to hide. In some places, the best place to hide was among the rich and powerful. In others, it was doing your best to be invisible. Moving only at night, staying in abandoned or foreclosed buildings. Not sticking around for anyone to notice you. Others places, like Gotham, it was to hide among the criminals who look the other way and never call the authorities or ask questions. That meant that Slade was most likely in this area. Of course because no one ever talks to the police, or anyone else really, especially if they’ve been bought off, it meant there was no definite proof which was why Dick never said anything about it.</p><p>            Another thing he learned was how to fight. Dick had always thought he was a good fighter, having been trained by Batman and other member of the Justice League. Slade however taught him a more violent, vicious style. Dick had hated every minute of it, especially when he realized how quickly it came out whenever he fought. It came out even worse if he was fighting angry.</p><p>            As much as he tried to bury it, there had been anger burning inside of him when Slade captured him. And afterwards, it had gotten worse. The harder he tried to contain it, the stronger it came out. It was enough to freak Bruce out. It was one of the many things they fought about before Dick left for Detroit. He had hoped if he quit being Robin, the anger would leave, but it didn’t. It wasn’t until defeating Trigon and forming the Titans again that he felt it start to disappear. Now it was back but Dick was okay with it this time because this time, he was going to use it against Slade.</p><p>            There was no noise, no sign of anyone being on the roof of the run-down, barely functioning apartment building that Dick landed on, but he knew immediately that someone was there. He could sense it. Turning around, he saw him. Slade Wilson, standing partially in the shadows wearing his signature black and orange armour and helmet.</p><p>            “Took you long enough.” Dick said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he glared at the assassin.</p><p>            “I wasn’t expecting you to show up so fast. I figured that the Big Bat would be keeping you locked up in your little castle, prince of Gotham.” Slade responded, leaning casual against the cement railing.</p><p>            “Funny.” Dick told him. Dropping his arms, he took a step closer to the criminal, he demanded, “Just tell me where the kids are.”</p><p>            “I would, but what will I get in return?” Slade inquired, not seeming bothered at all at the younger man’s obvious anger.</p><p>            “Me not killing you.” Dick replied.</p><p>            Slade scoffed. “We both know that you won’t do something like that.”</p><p>            “Maybe before I met you. But now, don’t be so sure.” Dick stated, reaching for his escrima sticks strapped to his back. Pulling them out, he activated the electricity causing blue light to jump from stick to stick.</p><p>            Smirking, Slade said, “Bring it kid.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Two Saved, One Missing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey everyone! So, I have some news that’s good for me, but might not be so good for you. I got another job! One that I have been wanting for a long time. Unfortunately, that means that I won’t have as much time to write so, updates might be slowing down again. I will do my best, but no promises. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            “I’m so bored.” Gar whined for fifth time in the last ten minutes, making Rachel groan and wish she could whack him on the head just to get him to stop.</p><p>            Rachel and Gar sat back to back. Well, as back to back as they could with a shatterproof glass wall in between them. They had woken up an hour ago in glass cages that reminded Rachel a lot of that one music video with Billie Eilish. The cages were in the center of a large, empty room with three lights hanging at least 20 feet above them, their bulbs completely bare. Neither of them had the slightest idea as to where they were but they could hear an occasional horn, like one from a ship. So they must’ve been somewhere near a harbour or something. Did Gotham even have a harhour? Rachel couldn’t recall.</p><p>            When they had first woken up, it took them a couple of minutes to remember what had happened. They were both feeling extremely groggy and weak. Gar quickly recognized those as symptoms of being drugged. It only took another few seconds after that for them to remember that they had snuck out with Jason and had been attacked by Deathstroke. It was only then that they realized that Jason wasn’t with them, wherever they were.</p><p>            The two then tried to escape, but that didn’t last long. The glass walls didn’t badge or break under their punches and kicks one iota. Gar then decided to use his powers and shift into a rhino, thinking that as that animal, he’d be strong enough to break down the walls. But before he could, he suddenly felt a terrible, electric shock flood through his entire body. Bad enough that he blacked out for a few seconds. It was only after that that they noticed the large, gray bracelets on their wrists. Since they had no idea how they worked and couldn’t get them off, they decided not to use their powers again. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything else to do, so they sat down back to back, completely bored as there was nothing to do.</p><p>            “So, you remember how after the whole asylum fiasco, we agreed to listen to Dick because he knew what he was doing?” Rachel suddenly asked.</p><p>            “Yeah.” Gar answered, a little confused as to why she was bringing that up.</p><p>            “We should’ve realized that he knew what he was talking about when he told us to stay in the Manor.”</p><p>            “Yeah, we should’ve.” Gar replied.</p><p>            “You know that when the others find us, we are going to be grounded for eternity, right?” The purple-haired teenager said.</p><p>            “Oh yeah.” Gar confirmed. After a minute of thought though, he asked, “What are the odds we can blame this all on Jason? He was the one who came up with the idea and showed us the way out.”</p><p>            “But we didn’t have to go along with him. In fact, if we had said no, he probably would’ve stayed in the Manor with us.” Rachel argued.</p><p>            “Yeah. He’s probably paying for what happened already.” Gar pointed out. They hadn’t seen any sign of the current Robin since they woke up which made both of them think that Slade didn’t bother kidnapping him. However, that didn’t mean that Slade hadn’t hurt him.</p><p>            “Why do you think Slade didn’t take Jason?” Rachel wondered.</p><p>            “Well, he’s not a Titan, so he’s not technically part of this feud they have going on. And maybe he didn’t want to incur the wrath of Batman.” The green-haired teenager suggested.</p><p>            “Yeah but, Batman already got involved when Slade took Dick. Plus, from what everyone says about Batman, he’s pretty territorial. I doubt he’s happy that not only did Slade kidnap Dick, twice now, he also tried to break into his home.” Rachel pointed out.</p><p>            “Can’t argue with that.” Gar responded.</p><p>            The two fell silent after that, staring absentmindedly at their surroundings. They weren’t sure how much time had passed since they woke up, but it felt like hours. With nothing to do, except talk, they were both extremely bored. And were starting to get a little hungry. They had probably missed supper by now. Depending on how long it took for the others to find them, Gar wondered if Slade would feed them.</p><p>            “I’m so bored. How long do you think until the calvary comes? Or Slade returns?” Gar wondered.</p><p>            “No idea.” Rachel said, glancing around the room again as there wasn’t really anything else to do.</p><p>            “Want to play a game?” Gar then asked, straining his head to look at the girl behind him.</p><p>            “Nope.” She responded.</p><p>            “Please? I need something to do.” He pleaded, turning around fully so he could better look at the girl. Rachel didn’t really want to, but she couldn’t deny that she was extremely bored as well and if she didn’t, Gar would just keep complaining.</p><p>            “Well, we could,” Rachel started, then stopped when they heard a small clanging noise, like someone had dropped something metal to the ground.</p><p>            “What was that?” Gar wondered, looking at the only door in sight that was still closed.</p><p>            “A rescue?” Rachel said as she turned her gaze to the door as well.</p><p>            For minute, nothing happened and scared that if there was someone out there looking for them and were about to walk pass them, Gar shouted, “We’re over here!”</p><p>            Suddenly, there were the sounds of people running around the building. Because of how fast they were going, Rachel couldn’t tell for sure how many people there were, but then the large door was ripped of and there stood Donna and Kory.</p><p>            “Hey!” Rachel loudly exclaimed at the sight of their friends, dressed in their hero outfits, here to rescue them.</p><p>            “Hey guys. You are in so much trouble.” Kory said with a smile that made it clear that her words were a promise that she was going to follow through on.</p><p>            “Yeah, we know.” Rachel replied, nodding her head then asked, “Can you get us out of here?”</p><p>            “Don’t worry, we will.” Kory assured them, examining their surroundings to see how best to get the youngest two members out. She wasn’t sure if the kids knew, but they had seen several traps outside surrounding the building, it was how they knew that the location they were sent too was the right one, and she was pretty sure there were more inside which meant that they had to be careful on getting the kids out.</p><p>            “And then I’m going to kill you two.” Donna chimed in. Too relieved that they were finally getting free, neither Rachel nor Gar complained.</p><p>            Seeing that the heroes were just standing in the doorway of the building, Gar asked, “Why aren’t you guys coming in?”</p><p>            “Because this entire place is booby-trapped, so we need to move slowly and carefully. Unless of course you want to die bloody deaths?” Donna answered sarcastically, shooting them a quick glance before pointing at the top of the doorway. It was only then that the teenagers noticed the cameras. They probably should’ve realized that their kidnapper would take precautions to make sure they didn’t get free but since this was the first time they had been kidnapped, they were new to this.</p><p>            “No thanks. Doesn’t sound like fun. Take all the time you need.” Gar told them, taking a few steps back even though he and Rachel were both a fair distance away from the door.</p><p>            As Starfire and Wonder Girl started figuring out how to get in and get the kids without tripping any of the traps that Slade set up, which was how they figured out they were in the right spot, Rachel noticed that there were the only ones. “Where’s Nightwing?”</p><p>            “Busy dealing with Slade.” Kory responded through gritted teeth as she was reminded of how worried and angry she was that her boyfriend went off on his own to meet with an assassin. An assassin that was already targeting him.</p><p>            “What?” Gar said in slight shock, a fearful expression coming up on his face. Rachel didn’t say anything because it honestly made sense.</p><p>            Slade hadn’t paid the rest of the Titans any attention until Dick was in Gotham. And when he kidnapped her and Gar, he hadn’t hurt them. As far as she was aware of, he didn’t really hurt Jason either. He just knocked him out. It was kind of clear that Slade didn’t care about them. He wanted Dick and was willing to use them to get at him. And even though Dick was probably fully aware that Slade was using them, he would still do whatever it took to protect those he cared about. That didn’t mean she was happy about it.</p><p>            “Long story.” Donna said. She didn’t look over at them but both Rachel and Gar could hear the frustration in her voice. It didn’t seem liked Donna and Kory were happy about what Dick did either.</p><p>            “What about Hawk? And Dove?” Gar then questioned, noticing that the other two members of the group were also missing.</p><p>            “They went with Batgirl and Batwoman to check out two other locations where we thought you might be.” Donna informed them as she took a step inside, then started walking along the wall towards the other end of the building where she had spotted a computer.</p><p>            Slowly, she walked over to it and somehow, managed to get there without tripping anything. The traps must be circling the two cages or something. Maybe they were just outside because Slade didn’t think they’d get this far. Then again, Slade was usually pretty thorough. It was actually a little weird that there weren’t any traps stopping her and Kory from reaching the computer. Either way, she decided to continue and get the two youngest Titans free.</p><p>            “Did you guys find Robin?” Rachel then asked, remembering that they still had no idea what happened to Batman’s newest partner.</p><p>            Kory shot them a reassuring smile. “Yup. He’s fine. Got a broken ankle but he’ll be okay. Now please be quiet so we can focus on getting you guys out of here.”</p><p>            “Okay sure. Getting out of here sounds really nice.” Gar stated somewhat nervously. Seeing Donna shoot him an annoyed glare, he whispered, “Sorry.”</p><p>            For the next minute or so, everything was quiet has Donna tried to not only open the electronic locks keeping the cages closed, but shut off the traps outside so they could leave easier. As she tried to figure out everything on the screen, she wished that Dick was here. Not only would he want to see the kids, he was the best when it came to dealing with computer software and hacking. He’d be able to do this a lot faster.</p><p>            The sound of an alarm blaring had Donna freeze. Kory immediately pressed closer to see what was going on.</p><p>            “What’s that?” Rachel questioned, doing her best not to panic.</p><p>            “That would be one of the traps being tripped.” Donna answered, keeping her on the screen.</p><p>            “Um, how bad?” Gar wondered, his voice starting to shaking in panic. Since neither Kory or Donna gave them any details about what trap was tripped and what it was going to do to him and Rachel, he could only imagine what was going to happen. And he had a very good imagination.</p><p>            “Just stay calm. We’ll take care of it.” Kory tried to assure him, shooting him a quick smile before looking back over at the computer screen.</p><p>Donna was grateful for Kory doing her best to keep Gar and Rachel calm. She had a feeling that the kids didn’t believe the alien, but they stayed quiet which was what she needed. If they were all going to get out of this alive, she needed to focus, not be distracted by panicking teenagers.</p><p>            As she went through all the coding, she noticing something flashing at the corner of the screen. Looking at it, she whispered to Kory, “There’s a timer.”</p><p>            “Can you disarm it before it goes off?” Kory murmured, still trying to keep the severity of the situation from the kids still trapped in the glass cages.</p><p>            “I don’t think so.” Donna regretfully responded. The timer had only one minute and 30 seconds left. It was going to take longer than that to get through the system and shut everything off. Only Dick could do that. Maybe she could break down the walls of the cages and get the kids out.</p><p>            Apparently thinking along the same lines, Rachel shouted, “Just get us out and get these collars off. I can transport us.”</p><p>            Rachel had only every transported people once, and that didn’t really end well. They ended up in the middle of a busy street instead of the building she was aiming for. Luckily, no one was injured, but she was extremely exhausted after. Dick said that he wanted her to practice a lot more before she tried that again, but they didn’t have time. So Donna agreed.</p><p>            “Okay.”</p><p>            Between her strength and Kory’s powers, those glass walls didn’t have a chance. The cages were broken and Gar and Rachel ran out and into the two women’s arms. As they did that, Kory and Donna both ripped off the collars that kept the kids from using their powers and threw them to the ground.</p><p>            “Thanks.” Rachel said to Donna as she pulled out of the embrace. Not sure of how much time they had, she turned to Kory and Gar, who were still in a hug, and asked, “Alright, everyone ready?”</p><p>            “Yup.” Kory responded. Still holding on to Kory, Gar nodded.</p><p>            “Here we go.” Rachel muttered, then closed her eyes and focused. Seconds later, she could feel the air around her turn into a strong wind. Opening her eyes, she saw that a black portal had opened in front of her. Without hesitation, she, Donna, Kory and Gar ran right into it.</p><p>            In hindsight, she probably should’ve thought about a place she wanted to go. Or even about someone that she wanted to see, but all she could think about was getting out of the building and somewhere safe. Stepping out of the portal, she found that they were outside somewhere near the river, but she had no idea where exactly. Before she could figure it out, her legs collapsed under her and she fell. Kory however, rushed to catch her before she hit the ground.</p><p>            “Sorry.” Rachel mumbled as the redhead lifted her arm to drape it over her shoulders and put an arm around the teenager’s waist.</p><p>            “That’s okay. How are you feeling?” Kory asked in a worried tone, glancing over at Donna and Gar who were coming over to them.</p><p>            “I’m alright.” Rachel said as she closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep. However, she felt Donna take her arm and put it around her shoulders like Kory had done and said, “Come on. We got to let the others know you two are okay, and then go find Dick.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            In the Batmobile, Bruce sped as fast as he could through the streets of Gotham. It was fairly late so the streets were pretty empty, not that that would’ve stopped him. Besides, after years of being behind the wheel of this car, he knew how to control it. He had this vehicle specially designed not only to hold an arsenal of weapons, but also to handle high speeds. He rarely used it but he was using it now. He was going as fast as he possibly could in order to get to his son.</p><p>            Despite his calm demeaner, Bruce was inwardly panicking. It had been over an hour since Dick had left the Cave. Anything could’ve happened to him during that time. He could’ve been captured by Slade again, could’ve been killed. Maybe another Gotham criminal had seen him and decided to attack him. All the Gotham psychos were currently in Arkham, which Bruce was grateful for, but there were still others out there.</p><p>            As much as he hated that Dick went off on his own, he wasn’t surprised. He should’ve expected it. Should’ve had somebody keep an eye on him. Not that that would’ve done any good. If Dick decided to do something, nothing short of the world ending could stop him, even if someone was watching him. His stubbornness could rival Batman’s.</p><p>            When Dick had first started out as Robin, he listened to almost every order Batman gave him. He broke one every now and then but he usually had a good reason for it. As he got older and became more independent, he disobeyed more and more, determined to make his own decisions. At the time, Bruce didn’t want to admit it but a lot of Dick’s choices and plans were very good and at least 95 percent of the time they had a positive outcome. Bruce was extremely proud, how could he not be, but was also sad. Dick was growing up and was building a life and career apart from him. Soon, he’d leave him.</p><p>            It was childish, he knew, but when Bruce realized how fast Dick was growing up, he tried to rein him in and keep his distance at the same time. Tried to keep him close yet prepare himself for when Dick did leave. Gave him more orders, tried to keep a closer eye on him but refused to actually talk to him when Dick tried and by doing that, he only succeeded in driving him away and causing constant fights. Then Dick started the Titans and as much as he still wanted his partner by his side, he had to let him go. Then Dick was abducted by Slade for two months and he didn’t know anything about it. The fact that he didn’t even question Dick not calling him, or Alfred, told him how frayed their relationship had actually become.</p><p>            As Dick recovered back at the Manor, Bruce so clearly saw the changes that occurred in their dynamic. Dick wasn’t a little boy who blindly followed orders. And that anger and darkness that Bruce had seen when he first took Dick in as he searched for man who killed his parents had reappeared. He had thought, had hoped, that the darkness had left him, that his light that slowly came out as he settled into the Manor had burned it out, but it hadn’t and that scared Bruce more than he was willing to admit. He never wanted that for Dick. That was part of the reason he took him in. To keep him from becoming like him.</p><p>            Things came to a head again when Tony Zucco was arrested. When Bruce learned what Dick did, how he indirectly caused the older man’s death, he couldn’t hold back his fear and anger. The fight they had that night was massive. Bruce’s filter was gone that night. He couldn’t understand how Dick couldn’t see what he was doing to himself. The next day, he came home from work to find that Dick was gone. Bruce didn’t see him again until he got the call from Donna a few months ago that Dick was shot and in the hospital. Bruce didn’t want a repeat of that. He wouldn’t to be able to take losing his son again.</p><p>            Pushing the gas pedal down harder, Bruce headed to the last known location the tracker in Dick’s Nightwing suit gave before it suddenly disappeared. He could only hope he’d get there before something bad happened. He wasn’t going to let that monster hurt his son again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. The Original</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Dick had fought hundreds of people in his life. As a boy searching for his parents’ killer, as Robin, as a police officer and as Nightwing. With some, all he needed to do was throw a cannister of knock out gas, some needed a few punches, and others needed to be outsmarted if he wanted to defeat them. Despite how long he’d known Slade Wilson, how many times he fought him, he hadn’t fully figured out what he needed to do take him down. He was both exceptionally smart and strong. There were a few tools he had in his arsenal that he was sure would at least weaken the criminal, but the hero had to get close enough first.</p><p>            While he was beyond determined to take Slade down, and had no qualms about fighting dirty, Dick still had to hold back a little. Fighting while blinded with rage was a sure-fire way to lose. Unless of course the person you were fighting had no experience and no clue what they were doing. Slade however knew what he was doing. And yet, it seemed like he was holding back as well. He blocked every blow Dick delivered with his escrima sticks, yet didn’t fight to take him down. He was on the defensive and it was both confusing and infuriating to the police detective.</p><p>            Dick wasn’t sure how long they were fighting before he finally got close enough, but when he did, he took immediate advantage of it. He trapped Slade’s sword, right by the hilt, in between his two weapons and twisted it out of Slade’s hold, losing his escrima sticks in the process. Now they were both weaponless.</p><p>            “I have to admit, you’ve gotten better.” Slade told him once he processed that his sword was now lying on the floor a few feet away. Dick’s only response to that was to throw a punch his way. He was not going to start bantering and let Slade distract him. He had one single goal, defeat Slade and get his kids back, and nothing was going to keep him from doing that.</p><p>            “Silence.” Slade said as he held out his arm to block Dick’s. “Never thought I’d get that from you.”</p><p>            “Shut up.” Dick growled, moving to kick his opponent in the head.</p><p>            The older man however, easily ducked out of the way, smirked and said, “That’s what I used to tell you.”</p><p>            Growling, Dick, still close enough to Slade, reached out and grabbed the man’s shoulders and pushed him back against the wall as hard as he could. Not expecting that, Slade actually let out a grunt at sudden pain in his back. Before he could say anything or making any movement, Dick put his arm against Slade’s neck, just enough to keep Slade from moving but not enough to cut off his breathing.</p><p>            “The only thing I’m interested in you saying, is where the kids are.” Dick responded through clenched teeth, pushing his arm harder against Slade’s neck. Slade then slammed his foot into Dick’s ankle, causing him to loosen his hold and lose his balance enough for the assassin to push him away. Instead of immediately going on the offense and taking advantage of the younger man, Slade simply walked away from the wall so he couldn’t be pressed against it again.</p><p>            “If you calm down, I’ll tell you where they are.” Slade offered as Dick recovered his balance.</p><p>            “Only if I give you something in return.” Dick said, standing up straight even though the ankle that the assassin had kicked was now throbbing. It wasn’t broken or anything. He could still fight, had fought with worse.</p><p>            Shrugging his shoulders, Slade responded, “Nothing’s free kid. You should know that by now.”</p><p>            Dick let a growl through his clenched teeth and resisted the urge to charge in a blind rage. He hated that Slade could rile him up so easily. This would be so much easier if Slade would just keep his mouth shut. Unless of course he was willing to just tell him where he took Rachel and Gar. But of course, he wasn’t going to do that without something in return, and he wasn’t going to him what he wanted, even if he didn’t have confirmation of what the man wanted from him.</p><p>            “Don’t you even want to hear the deal?” Slade asked, seeing Dick getting ready to continue fighting.</p><p>            “No, because it doesn’t matter. I’m going to find my kids and put in prison where you belong.” Dick told him, his tone making clear that there would be no changing his mind.</p><p>            “Still so confident. Would’ve thought that you’d lose that, considering the situation.” Slade remarked, causally walking to where his sword was lying. He had noticed after he got the hero away from him, that he was only about five feet away from his sword. If he could get that, then he’d have a greater advantage in this fight.</p><p>            “You’re one to talk about being confident.” Dick replied, also moving to keep a distance between him and the mercenary. He knew that Slade was going for his weapon, but he knew that if he charged right now, Slade would just duck, rush for his weapon and attack. He knew from experience that that would most likely not end well. He wasn’t going to risk doing something that wouldn’t garuntee would end with him winning.</p><p>            “You really think you can beat me?” Slade questioned, putting a foot under his sword before kicking it up into the air and grabbing it. It would’ve looked impressive to anyone other than Dick, who had seen him do that many times and knew how to do it himself.</p><p>            “I know I can.” Dick said, clenching his fists. Slade stared at him silence for a few seconds, then attacked.</p><p>            Dick immediately regretted letting Slade get his sword. Fighting Slade when they both had weapons was hard enough. Now he was even more at a disadvantage, and Slade was no longer on the defensive.</p><p>            Because of the length of the sword, Dick could get as close as he was before. Not without risking getting cut by the sharp blade. Every move Slade made, every attempt to cut or stab, Dick either ducked or stepped away from. As enforced as his Nightwing suit was, he knew that Slade’s sword would be able to still cut through it. He needed to get his escrima sticks, but with his opponent standing in front of them, he couldn’t.</p><p>            Apparently getting annoyed with Dick’s ability to dodge, Slade sped up his attacks, and managed to cut Dick right above his left hip. Dick couldn’t help hissing in pain from the injury, blood running down his leg. Slade smirked and made to strike at Dick’s legs, lowering his body as he did so. He didn’t seem to realize how much of a mistake that was. Dick couldn’t go through or under the criminal but he could go over him. Taking a step out of the way, Dick crouched down a little and leaped over the assassin, fell into a roll and came to stop right by his escrima stick. Without wasting a second, he grabbed them, turned and slammed the one in his right hand into Slade’s back, pressing the button to allow the electricity to hit the killer.</p><p>            Slade arched his back with a grunt, then tried to pivot out of the way, but Dick brought his other weapon down on Slade’s foot, also turning on the electricity which flowed into his leg. That made the assassin fall to a knee. Dick then took the one escrima stick off his foot and slammed it into his head hard enough to knock his helmet off. But then, Slade, with his free hand, punched Dick in the ribs hard enough that he pulled back his weapons. Taking a deep breath, Slade punched him again, hearing a slight crack as a rib broke, then wrapped his hand around Dick’s throat and lifted him a few inches off the floor.</p><p>            “Not playing fair this time I see.” Slade panted, still feeling his muscles spasm a little from the electric shocks. He had seen Dick fight before, had trained him for a while, but Dick had always been hesitant to fight so viciously, with so much force. He didn’t want to risk killing someone. Throughout those two months, Slade had seen it start to come out, had known that that strength and rage was in the boy who was Robin at the time, but hadn’t seen anything like this from him. Hadn’t been on the receiving end.  </p><p>            “I came to win, and I don’t care what I have to do to do it.” Dick hissed, then kicked his leg up in between Slade’s legs, getting him right in the crotch. Despite being stronger, faster and healing abilities, a blow like that would hurt and weaken any man and Slade was no exception.</p><p>            He immediately let go and bent down to protect to his torso. Dick was barely able to land on his feet, but he did then instinctively brought his knee up into Slade’s face, breaking his nose. Not wanting to give Slade any time to recover, Dick grabbed his shoulders, flipped him through the air and threw him to the ground. He then pulled a syringe out of his belt, got down onto the assassin’s stomach and stabbed the needle into Slade’s neck</p><p>            “I win.” Dick snarled as Slade’s startled eyes closed and his body went limp. He waited for a few seconds, then pulled the now empty syringe out. It was filled with a sedative, strong enough to take down Bane. He knew that it might be a bit overkill, but with Slade’s enhancements, it was better to be safe than sorry. A dose of this would definitely keep him out long enough for the proper authorities to deal with him.</p><p>            Standing up and taking a few steps away from the unconscious man, Dick was suddenly aware of how badly he was hurting. The adrenaline had now worn off, letting him feel how sore and in pain he was. His ankle was throbbing more due to how he kept fighting even when Slade hurt it. His ribs were aching, making it hard to breathe. He knew that Slade had at least cracked, possibly broke, at least one rib. Hopefully it hadn’t punctured anything. And looking down at the cut on his side, he saw that it was actually deeper than he thought, and was bleeding pretty steadily. He put a hand on it, pushing down, then felt his legs buckled under him and he fell like a rock.</p><p>            Dick’s entire body felt like a giant bruise, times ten. Did Slade get in more blows than he thought? He supposed it was possible. When fighting, especially as intensely as they were, it was possible it be hit and not really notice it. Dick tried to push himself back up, he had to let Bruce know that Slade was taken care of and had to find Rachel and Gar, they were still missing, but he couldn’t. His muscles felt like lead, and he was so tired. The fight, the injuries, and his exhaustion from lack of sleep had caught up to him now.</p><p>            “Nightwing!” Dick suddenly heard Bruce’s voice shout loud enough that it felt like it was piercing his ears. Still, the sound of his adoptive father so close filled him with relief.</p><p>            “B?” Dick tried to call out, but he could barely hear his own voice. What were the odds that Bruce could hear him?</p><p>            Suddenly, Dick felt hands grabbing him, turning him onto his side. “Nightwing, are you alright?”</p><p>            Dick found himself looking up at Batman, who looked at his face, then seemed to look him over, checking his injuries. Dick didn’t really care about that though. Bruce shouldn’t be here. He should be looking for Rachel and Gar. They were still missing. They could be in danger.</p><p>            “The others. Rachel, Gar. Have to find them.” Dick whispered as he struggled to get back up, his worry giving him more strength.</p><p>            “Wonder Girl and Starfire already found them. They’re okay.” Bruce told him, causing Dick to pause his struggle.</p><p>            “They’re safe?” Dick asked, glancing up at him, his dazed eyes regaining a little bit of clarity.</p><p>            “They’re safe.” Bruce confirmed. Dick let out a small, relieved sigh and closed his eyes. Rachel and Gar were okay, Bruce wouldn’t lie to him, not about something like that. And Bruce was here. It was okay. He could sleep now.</p><p>            “Dick, don’t fall asleep.” Bruce ordered, making Dick groan before mumbling, “Tired.”</p><p>            “I know chum, I know, but you need to stay awake. You’re hurt.” Bruce said, running a hand through his boy’s hair. He needed to get Dick out of here, but he couldn’t grapple down to the street carrying him. He wasn’t sure if he could even carry him. Dick wasn’t a little boy anymore that easily fit into his arms. He was a grown man with a lot of muscle. But Bruce was fairly strong, he just had to get the Batmobile as close to the building as he could.</p><p>            Reaching for his gauntlet, he pressed a button that would summon his car to the location. As he did that, he heard Dick whisper, “B?”</p><p>            Looking back at his son, he said, “Yes?”</p><p>            “‘m sorry.” Dick mumbled, his eyes drooping closed again.</p><p>            “Sorry for what chum?” Bruce wondered, his eyes turning to the small screen on his arm to see how far away the Batmobile was. When the younger man didn’t answer, Bruce immediately put his attention back on him and started shaking his shoulder as he said, “Dick? Answer me.”</p><p>            It took a few seconds, a few seconds too long in Bruce’s mind, before Dick again mumbled, “‘orry.” But he didn’t open his eyes, or say anything else. And his voice was quieter than before. Bruce again tried to shake him awake, but there was no response of any kind.</p><p>            “Stay with me Dick, stay with me.” Bruce pleaded, continuing to try to rouse him, but nothing. Bruce moved reached to grab Dick’s hand and pressed his thumb against his wrist. He still had a pulse but it was weakening. He then glanced back at the screen, willing the Batmobile to get here faster. He had to get Dick out of here and back to the Cave.</p><p>            “Nightwing! Batman!” A voice suddenly shouted, causing Bruce to look up. Coming out of the door and onto the roof were Dick’s team of Titans, including the missing teenagers, and Batgirl and Batwoman.</p><p>            “Oh my G*d.” Donna exclaimed as she rushed to Dick’s side, quickly followed by Kory and Barbara. The others also came over, but with everyone crowded around, there wasn’t that much room to get down beside their injured leader.</p><p>            “We need to get him back to the Cave.” Bruce told them, moving to get Dick into his arms so he could carry him down to the Batmobile that had just arrived according to the screen on his arm. He stopped though when Rachel got to her knees and put her hands on the deep gash on Dick’s side.</p><p>            “What are you doing?” Bruce demanded when he saw some sort of black mist surround Rachel’s hands.</p><p>            “Helping.” Rachel told him. Bruce watched with a skeptical expression, but then, to his surprise, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell back.</p><p>            “Rachel!” Kory shouted, catching the teenager in her arms. Donna immediately turned her attention over to the now unconscious girl while Bruce looked over Dick. Though the cut was still there, it didn’t seem as deep as before.</p><p>            “Is she okay?” Bruce asked as the alien and the Amazon started to move the girl.</p><p>            “Yeah, she should be. She just needs rest.” Donna assured him, helping Hank lift the young girl into his arms. Since Rachel had used her teleportation power to get them to safety, she didn’t have much energy or strength left. They knew that from experience. She would be fine once she got some sleep.</p><p>            Since it seemed like that was taken care of, Bruce again positioned Dick so he could carry him. With him in his arms, he stood up and said, “Come on. Let’s go home.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. This is Me Trying</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have returned! Chapter title is from the song This is Me Trying by Taylor Swift. Hope you all like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            <em>“You shouldn’t be up here.” Dick heard Bruce say, followed by the quiet patters of his feet against the roof tiles as he made his way closer. Sitting down beside him, Bruce added, “You’re still healing from numerous injuries, which makes climbing up here far more dangerous than it already is.”</em></p><p>
  <em>            Dick was already fully aware of that but he didn’t care. He was tired of being cooped up in the Manor. Every since he woke up after being rescued from Slade, he hadn’t left and he was starting to feel suffocated. Since he didn’t want to be around other people right now, he climbed out of his window and up to the roof. It’s where he would always go when he wanted to be alone and think.</em>
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  <em>            “You feeling alright?” Bruce then asked when he realized that Dick wasn’t going to speak.</em>
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  <em>            “Yeah, I’m fine.” Dick mumbled, staring up at the stars.</em>
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  <em>            “Your friends called again.” Bruce informed him, causing the young man to lower his head.</em>
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  <em>            “I’ll talk to them later.” Dick responded.</em>
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  <em>            “You’ve been saying that for days now.” Bruce reminded him. “They’re worried about you. I’m sure that soon they’re just going to show up here and demand to see you.”</em>
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  <em>            Dick thought for a moment, then whispered, “I don’t know what to say.”</em>
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  <em>            “I know, but ignoring it isn’t the answer.” Bruce replied, causing Dick to snort and Bruce didn’t need him to explain why. He knew he was being hypocritical but he didn’t want his son to be like him. He expected Dick to say something as well, but he didn’t. Instead, Bruce was stunned to see that there were tears running down his cheeks.</em>
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  <em>            Instinctively, Bruce pulled him into his arms, being gently of Dick’s still healing injuries. Dick went willingly, resting his head on his father’s chest. Holding him securely, Bruce whispered, “It’s going to be okay chum. You’re safe now. Everything’s going to be okay.”</em>
</p><p>            Slowly, Dick opened his eyes, not that surprised to find that he was in the med-bay of the Batcave. He remembered fighting Slade, remembered winning that fight. He remembered Bruce suddenly being there, but that was it. He didn’t remember anything after that. Wait, did they find Rachel and Gar?</p><p>            “Dick?” A voice quietly called out, just out of his line of sight. Dick turned his head towards the sound and found his adoptive father sitting in a chair right beside him.</p><p>            “Bruce?”</p><p>            “Right here.” Bruce responded, a small smile appearing on his face. Dick must’ve really scared him or something in order for the older man to actually smile at him. A real smile. It was much different than the fake one he used when he was out at parties and galas.</p><p>            “Rachel? Gar?” Dick asked with a slightly panicked tone as he struggled to sit up. Bruce however gently pushed him back down as he answered, “They’re fine. Donna and Kory found them. They, and all the others are upstairs sleeping. They wanted to stay but I wasn’t sure how long it would be until you woke up and there’s not that much space in here.”</p><p>            “How bad?” Dick then questioned, looking down at the bandages wrapped around his waist.</p><p>            “The cut on your side was fairly deep, but luckily didn’t hit any major arteries. However, when Slade broke your rib, and cracked two others, a fragment broke off and punctured your lung.” Bruce informed him.</p><p>            “Huh?” Was all Dick could say as confusion filled his mind. If he was that badly injured, why wasn’t he hooked up to more machines? Though he was still fairly sore, it was nowhere near as bad as it was before he passed out. And he had punctured a lung before back when he was Robin. He remembered what that felt like, and how long it took to recover from.</p><p>            Somehow understanding what was going on in his head, Bruce said, “While I was waiting for the Batmobile, the others showed up. Rachel, healed you, somewhat.”</p><p>            “Somewhat?” Dick mumbled.</p><p>            “She passed out during it. I guess she had used some sort of teleportation spell earlier and healing you was too much. She did manage to take away most of the damage though. Probably saved your life.” Bruce explained. Instead of calming his son down like he hoped, he apparently only worried him because he tried to get back up again. And again, Bruce pushed him back down as he said, “Dick, she’s fine. We checked her out and your teammates confirmed she’d be fine after some rest.”</p><p>            Though he still looked a bit worried, Dick relaxed enough to let his former mentor guide him back down on the bed. Looking up at him, Dick asked, “How long am I’m going to off my feet?”</p><p>            “Not that long.” Bruce replied, sitting back in his chair when he saw that his son wasn’t going to try to move again. “Your ribs are going to need a few weeks to heal, along with that cut, so you’ll have to take it easy, but you’ll be make a full recovery.”</p><p>            Dick nodded and was about to close his eyes, feeling exhausted, when he noticed Bruce’s calm expression turn to frustration and angry. Dick only had seconds to brace himself before his adoptive father demanded, “What were you thinking Dick?”</p><p>            “I was thinking that I was sick of Slade being out there, free, despite everything he had done in the past, and was not going to let him hurt Rachel and Gar.” Dick explained.</p><p>            “If you had waited, we would’ve found them without putting your life in danger.” Bruce informed him.</p><p>            “Maybe. Or maybe Slade would’ve been there waiting for us and would’ve tried to kill them.” Dick argued, glaring up at the man. “I know how Slade thinks Bruce, you don’t.”</p><p>            Bruce tensed at that. That time, learning that his son had been a prisoner to Deathstroke for two months and no one had told him, was one of the worst in his life. Especially when he saw how badly the criminal had beat up and tortured his partner. He hated remembering it but that was all he had been remembering since he found out that Deathstroke was back and was after Dick again. Dick never fully told him everything that had happened while he was held prisoner, and he was still haunted by what could’ve all occurred during that time. And while Dick might’ve learned a lot about the man, but that didn’t mean Bruce was okay with him being anywhere near Slade Wilson. He would never be okay with that.</p><p>            “I know you hate it when I’m not blindly following your orders like a good little soldier but I did what I thought was best. This was my problem, not yours.” Dick quietly continued.</p><p>            “If it involves you, it involves me Dick, and this isn’t about my need for control.” Bruce responded, agitated enough that he stood up. “This was about you putting yourself in harms way against a man who had already hurt you so badly without me even knowing about it!”</p><p>            “What’s going on?” Another voice suddenly joined the conversation. Bruce and Dick both turned their heads to see Jason, who had been asleep on a cot nearby, was now awake. Staring at them with a mildly confused expression, Jason said, “Dick?”</p><p>            “Go back to sleep Jason.” Bruce gently ordered, mentally kicking himself for forgetting that his other son was with them.</p><p>            “But, what happened?” Jason asked, his eyes shifting back and forth from Bruce to Dick.</p><p>            “Just gotta a little banged up. I’m fine and the others found Rachel and Gar. They’re okay. Go back to sleep.” Dick somewhat filled him in. He could give him all the details tomorrow, when they both weren’t exhausted.</p><p>            Jason stared at them for a minute, then nodded and muttered, “Okay,” before he laid back down on the bed.</p><p>            When it became clear that Jason had fallen back asleep, Dick and Bruce still stayed silent, thinking over what Bruce had said just before the teenager had woken up. When he had first been abducted by Slade, Dick was still confident that he would be able to escape and help his friends without any help. However, he soon found himself wishing that anyone, that Batman would show up and save him from the h*ll he had been trapped in. But he didn’t because Dick had made the others promise that unless someone was dying, no one would call Batman or any other members of the Justice League. And since they knew he was still alive, they didn’t. However, Dick never really thought about how it must’ve been for Bruce to find out that the person he raised had been abducted and held prisoner for months.</p><p>            “Bruce, I know, I shouldn’t have told the others to never call you if we needed help, but we were fighting and,” Dick paused, trying to figure out how to explain without rambling or angering the man more than he already was. Ducking his head, he continued, “I was getting sick of you seeming to use any excuse you could find to not trust me to do anything.”</p><p>            Instead of getting angry and denying it like Bruce usually did whenever Dick pointed out any shortcomings of his, he sat back down and said, “I know I messed up Dick. Believe me, I know. It wasn’t about thinking that you didn’t know what you were doing or trust. I do trust you. You’ve been out fighting crime almost as long as I have. I just, I,</p><p>            “I was being petty. You were growing up. You had become an adult, a man that I was so proud of. Still am.” Bruce looked up at Dick with a small smile, needing his son to know that he was being serious. Then he added, “I knew that soon you’d leave and I was, torn between trying to find any excuse to keep you by my side and pushing you away and proving I didn’t need you. I… I’m sorry Dick.”</p><p>            “I know. It’s just,” Dick paused again, causing Bruce to ask, “Just what?”</p><p>            “I would’ve come back. This place was still kind of my home. And you and Alfred were my family. Sure I would’ve left, but all kids do when they grow up.” Dick explained.</p><p>            “I know. I was, stupid and selfish and scared, and not just of you leaving.”</p><p>            “Of me dying.” Dick concluded, having known since he first went out as Robin all those years ago what Bruce was scared of if he let him become his partner.</p><p>            “That too but also, Dick, I took you in because I wanted to help you. I saw something happen to you that was almost identical to what happened to me and I never wanted you to become like me. But when you came back from those months trapped with Slade, you were, you were so angry. You had every right to be, but it terrified me. Then with what happened with Zucco, I thought I failed. I had failed to protect you, protect that light inside of you. That I ended up causing you to be just like me.” Bruce revealed.</p><p>            Seeing the surprised look on his face, Bruce put a hand on Dick’s shoulder and said, “You were, and still are, a much better man than me.”</p><p>            “It’s not your fault Bruce. I know I messed up too.” Dick admitted, lowering his gaze. Bruce didn’t say anything to that. They both knew that they had both messed up.</p><p>            The two then fell into silence for a few minutes until Dick risked looking up at his adoptive father and asked, “So what now?”</p><p>            Shaking his head, the billionaire answered, “I, I don’t know.”</p><p>
  <strong>2018TITANS2018</strong>
</p><p>            Dick awoke the next morning to the sound of approaching footsteps. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was Alfred, carrying a large tray with two plates and two mugs on it. He knew immediately that Alfred was purposely making sure that he could hear him. After all, the butler could be more silent than Batman when he wanted to be.</p><p>            Coming over to him, Alfred asked, “How are you feeling this morning Master Richard?”</p><p>            “A little annoyed with Jason snoring, but I’m fine.” Dick replied as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, throwing a minor glare at Jason’s sleeping figure.</p><p>            “That is good to hear.” Alfred said. Putting down the tray on the table, he added, “Here’s some breakfast.”</p><p>            “Thanks.” Dick responded, reaching for the mug that was filled with tea instead of coffee liked he hoped. Meanwhile, Alfred grabbed the other plate and mug and headed over to the other table by Jason’s bed.</p><p>            “Are the others awake?” The police detective wondered, digging into his scrambled eggs.</p><p>            “They did not appear to be when I came down, but they will probably be up soon.” Alfred informed him, then gently shook Jason’s shoulder to rouse him. Seconds later, Jason groaned and looked around the room, his gaze locking onto Dick.</p><p>            “Morning.” Dick said cheerfully as Jason’s annoyance at being woken up shifted to mild confusion.</p><p>            Sitting up, Jason asked, “What happened to you?”</p><p>            “He went after Deathstroke on his own.” Alfred answered before Dick could even open his mouth. His tone of voice made it clear that he was not at all happy what Bruce’s first partner had done the night before, which wasn’t a surprise to anyone.</p><p>            “He kicked your a** too?” Jason surmised, looking at the IV that was still Dick’s arm and the bandages wrapped around Dick’s waist.</p><p>            “Master Jason, watch your language.” Alfred reprimanded, giving the teenager a sharp look.</p><p>            “Sorry Alfred.” Jason said, somewhat sheepishly. Dick bit back a chuckle. Alfred had always prim and proper. He had little to no tolerance of swearing. Dick and Bruce had both learned to either swear out of Alfred’s earshot, or say something else. Apparently, Jason hadn’t managed that skill yet.</p><p>            “Actually, I kicked his butt.” Dick answered Jason’s earlier question. “He just got a few good blows in while I was doing it.”</p><p>            Suddenly realizing that he hadn’t asked and Bruce hadn’t told him about what they did with Slade, Dick looked over at the butler, who was busying himself off to the side, and asked, “What happened to him anyways?”</p><p>            “Some of your teammates, Mr. Hall and Ms. Granger stayed with him until the police arrived while the others brought you home.” Alfred filled him in, then came over to Jason to check his ankle.</p><p>            “Good.”</p><p>            While they ate, Jason peppered Dick with questions about everything that happened with Slade. Dick told him everything that he could remember, but wasn’t as excited about it as Jason apparently was. For him, that fight wasn’t a fun and exciting one. That fight had been filled with barely controlled rage, determination and desperation. Rachel and Gar's lives were at stake. He wasn't at all enjoying it like he normally enjoyed taking down criminals. Until of course he actually won. Then he felt a brief moment of pleasure before he realized he still had no idea where Gar and Rachel were.</p><p>            “Dick!” A familiar voice cried out excitedly. The three turned their heads to see Rachel, Gar, Kory, Donna, Hank and Dawn coming down the stairs. Dick’s entire body filled with relief at the sight of them, especially Rachel and Gar. Though Bruce had assured him that they were okay, he couldn’t help but worry until he saw them with his own eyes.</p><p>            Rachel threw her arms around Dick the second she reached him and asked, “How are you feeling?”</p><p>            “I’m alright.” Dick answered, holding her tightly in his arms for a minute before letting go to reach for Gar. Pulling the green-haired teenager into his embrace, Dick asked, “Are you two okay?”</p><p>            “Yeah we’re fine.” Gar told him, hugging him back for a few seconds then pulled away.</p><p>            “You sure? Slade didn’t hurt you?” Dick questioned, looking them over closely.</p><p>            “Nope. Just knocked us out with a drugged dart of some kind. Nothing serious. Bruce and Alfred both checked.” Gar tried to assure him. He understood that Dick must’ve been really worried about them, but they were seriously okay. He needed to calm down.</p><p>            “Bruce said you passed out though.” Dick recalled, looking over at Rachel.</p><p>            “Just overdid it with my powers is all. I’m fine now.” Rachel shrugged.</p><p>            Not seeing any injury of any kind, Dick finally started to relax as he said, “Good.”</p><p>            “In fact, I could probably heal you completely now.” Rachel told him as Kory, Donna and Dawn took their turns giving Dick a hug while Hank simply patted his leg. The taller blonde wasn’t really big on mushy stuff like that.</p><p>            “No. We shouldn’t risk it. You still need to take it easy.” Dick quickly objected, turning his attention back to the young woman.</p><p>            “You do realize how hypocritical it is for you to say that, right?” Kory wondered, one of her hands up by Dick’s head, playing with his hair.</p><p>            “And just so you know, we will be having a nice little talk about you running off on your own you idiot.” Donna chimed in with a look on her face that promised he most definitely would be paying for his reckless actions.</p><p>            “Noted.” Dick responded, resigning himself to his fate. Suddenly, he felt small hands over his bandages and looked down to see that it was Rachel.</p><p>            “Hey.” He called out and moved to push her hands away, but it was too late. He could already feel the aching in his ribs and the slightly pulling of his stitched-up wound disappear.</p><p>            Pulling her hands back, Rachel smirked and said, “There. All better.”</p><p>            “You didn’t need to do that.” Dick informed as Alfred immediately came over to see for himself if Dick was actually healed. He had seen the girl heal Dick of his injuries before but better safe than sorry.</p><p>            “I know. But I wanted to.” Rachel replied with a shrug.</p><p>            “Any chance you could do that for this poor leg of mine?” Jason then spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to him.</p><p>            “Sure.” Rachel said and walked over to his side. She pulled back the young man’s blankets so she could see his legs and, quickly spying the injured limb, put her hand on it and focused her powers on healing it.</p><p>            As soon as she was done, Jason moved his ankle, testing it, then looked back over at her and said, “That’s so cool that you can do that.”</p><p>            “Thanks.” She responded, blushing slightly, then moved back to Dick’s side.</p><p>            Jason then swung his legs over the edge of the bed and moved to stand when he heard Bruce’s voice suddenly ask, “What do you think you’re doing?” Everyone looked up as Bruce, dressed in an expensive suit, most likely about to head to work.</p><p>            As he made his way over to the large group, Jason explained, “Rachel healed my leg. She also healed Dick. So we can go.”</p><p>            Bruce paused for a minute, his eyes sweeping over his sons and Rachel, then went to Jason’s side and crouched down by his legs. “Let me check.”</p><p>            “Come on old man.” Jason complained, to which Dick quickly said, “Just let him Jason.”</p><p>            He knew that Bruce wasn’t going to let them leave the med-bay without checking them over first. He was too paranoid for that. It was better to just let the man make sure that they were indeed fine now than argue with him about it. That would only anger and frustrate everyone involved. Plus, Alfred would agree with him and no one ever won any kind of argument against Alfred.</p><p>            When Bruce finished with Jason, he headed over to Dick. Alfred had already removed the bandages and with them gone, Bruce clearly saw that the bruises and the gash was now gone. He then glanced over at Alfred who gave him a quick nod. Sighing, Bruce said, “Alright, you guys can get up, but I still want you two to take it easy to be on the safe side.”</p><p>            “Cool.” Jason responded before he jumped out of bed and started heading up the stairs towards the Manor.</p><p>            “I’ve got to get to work. Don’t do you anything stupid.” Bruce told his oldest son, then followed after his second child.</p><p>            Seconds later, Kory looked over at Dick and asked, “Wanna head upstairs?”</p><p>            “Sure.” Dick said, then moved to stand up. As soon as he was upright, Donna grabbed his right arm about put it around her shoulders as though she was intending to help him even though it wasn’t needed.</p><p>            “I can walk.” Dick told her, but Wonder Girl simply grinned and said, “You heard Bruce.”</p><p>            “Think of it as part of your punishment for running off by yourself.” Kory added, grabbing Dick’s other arm, though she didn’t put it around her shoulders like Donna had.</p><p>            “‘Part of’?” Dick questioned as they all started walking towards the stairs, now getting a little worried by what they had planned.</p><p>            “Oh don’t be fooled by this relieved smile. You are in so much trouble.” Kory informed him. When Rachel let out a quiet giggle, Kory turned her head to look over her shoulder and said, “I wouldn’t laugh Rach. You and Gar are in even more trouble than Dick.”</p><p>            While he agreed with his girlfriend, Dick brought her attention back to him by reminding them, “Hey, I got Slade, didn’t I?”</p><p>            “And almost got yourself killed while doing it.” Dawn was quick to point out, opening the door that led to the library on the Manor’s main floor.</p><p>            “Not my best plan, I’ll admit.” Dick replied, moving to sit down on the nearest couch. Nobody argued that.</p><p>            “So, since Slade has been dealt with and everyone’s okay, I guess we can head back home, right?” Hank said, sitting down in the couch opposite of Dick. Dawn and Gar sat beside him while Kory and Donna sat beside Dick. Rachel, wanting to stay close to the man who had taken her in, sat down on the floor by his feet.</p><p>            “Yeah, maybe in a few days.” Dick replied, leaning back against the cushions. “It would be nice to have some time to relax.”</p><p>            “That sounds good.” Kory responded, lowering her head against Dick’s shoulder. After all of this, they deserved some time to just rest without worrying about any criminals or master assassins.</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Birds Fly in Different Directions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And this is the last chapter of the story. I hope you all have enjoyed reading it! Chapter title is from the song Birds by Imagine Dragons. When I first heard this song, right after it came out, my first thought How Beautiful and Sad, while my second thought was How perfect this song is for the Batfamily, so I had to use it. I wish someone would make a Batfamily music video with the song. It’s amazing. I hope you all like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Dick stared at the pile of clothes that was sitting on his bed by his duffle bag. It had been four days since the night he fought Slade and he was now getting ready to head back to San Francisco with the rest of the Titans. He didn’t have much to pack, having brought nothing with him except his Nightwing uniform. The clothes he had been wearing since then had been bought for him by Alfred after Bruce rescued him. He had automatically started packing them but was now hesitating.</p><p>            When Dick had first left the Manor over a year ago, he had taken all of his belongings that he needed and cared about with him. He didn’t think he’d ever come back. The fight he had with Bruce was that bad. However, now that they had somewhat made up, he was wondering if he should leave the clothes in his now empty dresser. Just in case. It wasn’t like he needed them, and no one knew what could happen in the future. It would probably be handy to have some clothes here if he ever unexpectedly ended up back in the Manor.</p><p>            Decision made, he went to put the clothes back when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Figuring that it was just Kory, who had gone to check on Gar and Rachel, he paid no mind to it. However, he stopped in his tracks when instead of Kory, he saw Barbara standing in the doorway. Giving him a small grin, she said, “Hey. Can I come in?”</p><p>            “Sure.” Dick answered, a little stunned at her appearance but not unhappy.</p><p>            Coming to sit on the bed, Barbara asked, “When was the last time we were in here?”</p><p>            “I can’t remember. Been a while.” Dick replied with a smile, getting back to putting his clothes away.</p><p>            “What are you doing?” Barbara wondered with a confused tone.</p><p>            “I um, thought I’d leave the clothes Alfred bought me here. I don’t need them in San Francisco. And, it might be handy to have some clothes here, just in case I ever, end up back here for whatever reason.” Dick explained, suddenly feeling a bit anxious.</p><p>            Noticing that, Barbara gave him a wide grin and said, “Good idea. I still have to get back at you for being such an idiot.”</p><p>            “Maybe I shouldn’t come back.” Dick joked, stopping just short of putting the clothes in the drawer.</p><p>            “Seriously though, you were an idiot going off on your own like that.” Barbara told him, now beginning to sound angry.</p><p>            “I know, but I couldn’t risk whatever Slade would’ve done if I didn’t go meet him by myself. He had taken so much already.” Dick quietly revealed, closing the dresser drawer but kept his back to her.</p><p>            “I just, hate it when you go off on your own like that. You get all, self-sacrifice-y, like your life doesn’t matter when it does.” Barbara informed him. Dick turned around to look at her, but saw that she had lowered her head to stare at the floor.</p><p>            Dick crossed the room over to the bed and sat down beside her. “You know that I would rather die than let something happen to the people I love. You’re the same way. So is Bruce, so is the entire Justice League. So is a lot of people.”</p><p>            “I know, but it’s different when you’re on this side of things. And, it almost feels like you are actually looking for someone to kill you or something.” Barbara responded.</p><p>            Sighing, Dick turned his own gaze to the floor. He and Barbara had fought about this many, many times. Even before they were dating, back when she first started going out as Batgirl and learned that he was Robin and Bruce was Batman. It got worse after they started dating. He would always do his best to protect her which infuriated her to no end because it made her feel like he thought she couldn’t do her job. It took a while for them to work out their issues but even then, there were times Barbara would get worried about how he fought, how he always went out even when it wasn’t safe or when he wasn’t in any shape to be leaving his bed.</p><p>            “I’m not, but I can’t just sit around when I could be something to help.” Dick told her. It was something he had told her many times whenever she brought this up. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.</p><p>            “I know you can’t. I just wish you’d care a bit more about yourself than you do.” She replied.</p><p>            “I’ll try.” Dick promised.</p><p>            “Good.” Lifting her head to finally look at him, Barbara added with a smile, “You better not do anything that stupid again Boy Wonder.”</p><p>            Chuckling, Dick said, “I’m not Boy Wonder anymore.”</p><p>            “Fine. 20-something year old Wonder.” Barbara revised, causing both her and Dick to break out in laughter.</p><p>            After minute of that and calming down, Barbara said, “In all seriousness though, you better not do something that stupid again.”</p><p>            “I’ll do my best, but no promises.” Dick responded with a smile. She shook her head then stood up.</p><p>            “Keep in touch, okay?”</p><p>            Dick also stood up and gave her a hug which she instantly returned. “Okay. Tell your Dad I said hi.”</p><p>            “Will do.” Barbara agreed. Ending the hug, she walked towards the door, then turned back face him and added, “See you around Dick. Keep in touch.”</p><p>            “You too.”</p><p>            With that, she walked out of the room. Dick turned back to the suitcase, now filled with only his Nightwing suit and Kory’s things. He zipped it up and went to grab his coat. It may have been spring, but it was always a bit chilly in Gotham. A sudden knock on the door, even though it was open, caused Dick to look over his shoulder. There stood Bruce.</p><p>            “You all packed?” Bruce inquired, taking a step into the room.</p><p>            “Yup.” Dick responded, fully turning around to face him.</p><p>            “Heading back to San Francisco?” The billionaire questioned, taking another two steps closer to Dick.</p><p>            “Where else would we go?” Dick asked with a grin. When he saw a nervous expression on his adoptive father’s face, Dick suddenly felt nervous himself.</p><p>            “I have a penthouse, in San Francisco. I bought it a long time ago. It’s really big, two full floors. It’s all decked out with a training room, computer room, security, places to hide your suits and equipment, if you’re interested.” Bruce informed him, avoiding his gaze.</p><p>            Dick frowned a little at that. He had known that Bruce had a place in the city. He had places everywhere. Safehouses he bought and stocked up with supplies and security under the guise of being a billionaire who was too good for hotels if he could help it. There were so many that Dick didn’t even know how much there were anymore. He had back when he was younger, when he was Robin. Bruce made sure he knew just in case, but it had been a while and Dick had no doubt that more safehouses had been bought during that time.</p><p>            When he and Donna first started the Titans with Hank, Dawn, Garth, Roy and Wally, they had their own place. It was technically funded by the Justice League, as their own mentors wanted to keep tabs on them as well as Bruce. But after Slade, after Garth’s death, it was cleaned out and shut down. Slade had known where it was and had even managed to get through the security to put a bomb in the walls. It wasn’t safe anymore, especially since they hadn’t caught Slade yet. And since the Titans disbanded shortly after, there was no need for it.</p><p>            As much as Dick didn’t really like the idea of being anywhere remotely under Bruce’s thumb, he couldn’t deny that a different place might be better. More room so they could all live together instead of sharing two apartments between the group. An actual training room instead of going to the gym or using abandoned buildings whenever they wanted to train with their powers. A more secure place for their equipment, more secure place to live. And if they did need help, it would be good to have a more direct line to Batman.</p><p>            “You have a place big enough for all of us?” Dick wondered with a playful look in his eyes.</p><p>            “You know rich people. They like their space even if they don’t actually need it.” Bruce answered, smiling slightly.</p><p>            Thinking about it for another minute, Dick said, “Are you going to be hacking into the security system to check on us all the time?”</p><p>            “No, I won’t.” Bruce responded, appearing as though he didn’t really want to agree to that, but then continued, “I will however, put in place an alert that will go off if someone tries to hack in or messes with the system.” Dick nodded. That sounded reasonable enough to him,</p><p>            “I’ll talk about it with the team. If they agree, then sure. That sounds good.”</p><p>
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</p><p>            “Here we are.” Dick announced to his teammates as he punched in the security code to Bruce’s penthouse in San Francisco and opened the door.</p><p>            After telling the others about Bruce’s offer, they quickly agreed to check the place out. Dick however got the impression that Hank, Dawn and Donna had already decided they should take it. They knew that the penthouse would be a much better base of operations than the apartments they were staying in. So, they said a quick but heartfelt goodbye to Bruce, Jason and Alfred, then headed to the private airport and flew back to San Francisco on the private Bruce insisted they take.</p><p>            “This place is cool!” Gar exclaimed with a wide and excited grin, practically jumping up and down.</p><p>            Dick grinned at him. He couldn’t argue with that. The door opened up to a giant room broken up into sections. A kitchen and dining room on the left side, a small sitting area followed by a large living room on the right side. In between those two on the right, was a hallway that Dick knew led to a bathroom, the training room and the computer room. On the left side, against the opposite wall, which was made of glass windows, was the metal staircase that led to the second floor where the bedrooms and other bathrooms were.</p><p>            “This is going to be our new home?” Rachel questioned in almost awed disbelief.</p><p>            “Do you want it to be?” Dick asked, then added, “Check out the whole place before you answer that.”</p><p>            Rachel and Gar immediately took off to explore while the others made their way through the door, putting their luggage down on the floor. Dick started walking through the large room, taking note of all the extra space, up-to-date appliances and the big screen TV that was actually hanging over a fireplace. Hank whistled as he spotted the small bar by the kitchen.</p><p>            “Nice.” Hank mumbled when he opened the mini fridge and saw that it was fully stocked.</p><p>            “He keeps food here? Does he really come to San Francisco that often?” Kory asked, looking over at her boyfriend.</p><p>            “Don’t think so. The stuff he keeps in his safehouses is mostly non-perishables. Plus, I think he had a feeling we’d agree to stay and decided to just have someone fill it up for us.” Dick replied.</p><p>            “Have we decided yet though?” Kory wondered.</p><p>            “Well,” Dick started, but was cut off by Gar running past towards the stairs yelling, “This place is AWESOME!”</p><p>            Rachel followed behind him, though at a slower speed. She paused when she reached the group of adults to say, “So awesome,” then continued after Gar, who had already ran up the stairs to look at the bedrooms.</p><p>            “I guess their vote is a definite yes.” Kory deduced with a smile with the others chuckled at the kids’ antics.</p><p>            “And what about you guys? What do you think?” Dick asked once he stopped laughing, though a smile remained on his face.</p><p>            “Well, we haven’t seen the rest of the place but it already seems better than our apartment.” Kory replied, leaning closer to Dick who put his arm around her shoulders.</p><p>            “I agree.” Donna chimed in. “It’s a lot safer and better equipped. Plus, a lot more room.”</p><p>            “I second that.” Hank spoke up. Beside him, Dawn nodding in agreement.</p><p>            “Does that mean ‘yes’?” Gar’s voice had everyone turning to look at the stairs. He was standing near the top of the staircase with Rachel behind him. The were both crouched down low enough that they were practically sitting so they were able to see them.</p><p>            After a quick glance at the entire group, Dick nodded and said, “Yes, that’s a yes. We’re moving in.”</p><p>            Gar let out an excited whoop and ran right into Dick, wrapping his arms around his waist tightly. Laughing, Dick returned the hug. It only lasted a few seconds though before Gar let go and ran back to the stairs shouting, “I get the room with the giant window!”</p><p>            The adults again burst into laughter. Rachel, Hank, Dawn and Donna then made their up the stairs to pick out which bedrooms. Kory was also going to go, but stopped when she realized that Dick wasn’t moving. He didn’t seem to be paying them any attention at the moment. Instead, he had pulled out his cell phone.</p><p>            “You coming?” Kory asked.</p><p>            Looking up at her, he answered, “In a minute. I’m just going to let Bruce know.”</p><p>            “Okay.” The alien said, then headed up the stairs as well.</p><p>            Turning his attention back to his cell phone, Dick looked at Bruce’s name, clicked it, and typed out <em>‘We’ll take it. Thanks Bruce.’</em></p><p>            Almost instantly, Bruce sent his response.</p><p>            <em>‘You’re welcome. If you need anything else, let me know.’</em></p><p>            Dick hesitated at that, his pride making him question how to respond. He didn’t want Bruce thinking that he couldn’t take care of himself or his team. Ultimately though, he swallowed it and typed out, <em>‘Will do. Talk to you later.’</em></p><p>            After pressing send button, he slipped his phone back in his pocket, then went searching for the others. It was time to get the rest of their stuff and move into their new home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that’s the end! Thank to everyone who left kudos, bookmarked and commented! I hope you all enjoyed it!</p>
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